Seizon High: Deathgame on Campus
by Ezleurnoe
Summary: You've just received a letter on a late Sunday night. You weren't sure why you stayed up so late, or if you should open the peculiar-looking mail. The envelope, black in color, and sealed with a black-and-white bear-shaped emblem, you hesitated. However, in the end, whether out of curiosity or you got nothing else to do, you opened it. Warning: Deaths and Executions
1. The Letter

**First of all, thank you for reading "Seizon High: Deathgam****e on Campus". "Seizon" is the Japanese word for "survival", just thought that you guys may like to know. This story may have sequels, OVAs, etc. if this turns out well. Hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Danganronpa, just my own characters. Also, I do not own others' characters.**

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You've just received a letter on a late Sunday night. You weren't sure why you stayed up so late, or if you should open the peculiar-looking mail. The envelope, black in color, and sealed with a black-and-white bear-shaped emblem, you hesitated. However, in the end, whether out of curiosity or you got nothing else to do, you opened it. Trying to make out the miniscule text, you read:

_"Dear _,_

_You're probably tired and sleepy by now, but spare some time to read this great news! I, the Headmaster of Seizon High, would like to welcome you into my prestigious school, for you were chosen to come and study here. Out of the millions of youths out there, only those of potential and greatness can enroll here, as long as they were invited. Either that, or you're just that lucky lottery winner, hehe..._

_Anyway, I shall be awaiting for your arrival!_

_From, Headmaster of Seizon High_

_PS: Enrollment Form is in the envelope as well. Feel free to fill it out and mail it back to us if you're interested!"_

So, what will be your decision?

* * *

Enrollment Form:

**Name: (Last, First)**

**Age: (Must be around high-school age, of course)**

**Gender:**

**Talent:**

**Status in Society: (Idol, Student, Killer, etc.)**

**Height:**

**Weight:**

**Overall Appearance: (Required - Eyes and Hair Colors/Length/Style, Skin Color, Body Type(or Physique, like slender, bulky, etc) and Clothes. You can add any other information if you like.)**

**Likes:**

**Dislikes:**

**Preferred Friend/s: (Ex. Sweet, honest, loves to play sports, etc.)**

**Rivals/Enemies are those who: (Are arrogant, cheat often, etc.)**

**Hobbies:**

**Interests:**

**Quirks:**

**Personality:**

**Biography:**

**Extras: (Any other information that you may want to share about your character or something I've forgot to asked about)**

**You must agree to the terms and conditions: **

**+You'll be sending your OCs by PM, and title it with your character's name, so I can find him/her faster. **

**+You'll allow me to use them however I want, as long as I follow their personalities, hobbies, etc.**

**+Order of deaths, killers and who'll survive will be based on the voting, which will I put up soon once I get the needed number of submissions.**

**+If you have any complaints or questions, or I'm lacking information or such, either post a review or PM me.**

**+System, Phases, Regulations, etc. are the same as Danganronpa.**

**+Only 14 submissions will be accepted.**

**That's all and I hope to hear your thoughts on my story!**

**Arigatou Gozaimasu!**


	2. Students Assembly (1 of 2)

**Okay, I've received submissions that reached around half of the needed characters, so I thought that I should make a chapter for the first half's debut. This is also to give you others to get an idea on how to build your OCs, and also to give you a preview on the story. Hope you all like it! As for the main character, it'll come out from the submissions. My OC will just be one of the other students. Also, I won't really be updating fast. I only uploaded this because I have some free time. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"We're here, Ma'am. Hope you enjoy your stay in Seizon High!" The chauffeur exclaimed, smiling at his passenger, who simply got off the limousine without saying a word. Big, grey eyes looked at the grandeur infrastructure as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black vest. Her thin lips, moving slightly as she was muttering something. She continued forward, withdrawing a hand to play with her light purple hair, picking out tresses of pink hair strands at the same time. Though her hair was quite short, her side bangs reached past her shoulders. Being quite tall, around 5' 4, her black-and-magenta striped long-sleeved shirt fitted her fairly skinny and pale physique. Along with her black skirt, ripped leggings and gray boots, she accessorized herself with a gray scarf and a utility belt with strange devices for some unknown purpose.

Hagarashi, Gina was the name of the peculiar maiden. Looking up to the blue skies, she squinted her eyes as she looked down once more and rushed inside. Once she was in, she heaved a sigh. "It's so bright outside..." She muttered, looking around the interior of Seizon High. The room she entered from the entrance wasn't so different from all the other schools. From the bulletin board taking up most of the left wall to the doors along the empty corridors that lead to the classrooms and other places, nothing was very special about the school so far. Gina scratched the back of her head as she looked around. She noticed how empty it was, and that she felt no other presence except hers. "No one's here yet? Am I the first to arrive?" She wondered, taking a step forward. All of a sudden, the world around her started spinning. She felt her body getting heavy as she collapsed onto the floor. She felt drowsy, but she still pushed herself to stay awake. In the end, all her efforts were futile as darkness enshrouded her.

* * *

"Ngh...wh...huh?" Gina, blinking her eyes open, looked around the room she was in. She caught a glimpse of a chalkboard with terrible writings on it, windows with steel plates bolted on them, and empty yet messed up desks. She rubbed her eyes as she stood up from the chair she was sitting in. "Am I...in one of the classrooms? Strange, I don't remember going into one." She muttered as she walked out of the classrooms, then accidentally bumping into someone who's probably standing there the entire time. She fell backwards due to the collision.

The person Gina bumped into spun around, caught a glimpse of her, then immediately became embarrassed. "I'm terribly sorry! I didn't see you there." He shouted, which was unnecessary, as he extended a hand towards Gina to assist her. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Gina just stared at him as she stood up all by herself. The boy was quite bewildered that she didn't take his hand. He withdrew it. She looked at him, turning her eyes away from him afterwards. "I'm fine." She replied bluntly. She looked at him again to take in his features and all. He had messy, black hair that reaches around the back of his neck. He had brown eyes and a tall and healthy physique, which depicts that he may have undergone some sort of training. He had a simple outfit of an olive green shirt topped with an unbuttoned orange polo-shirt. It seemed that he paired these with camo-pants and black combat shoes. "Are you from a military?" She questioned.

"Eh? Oh, you could say that." The boy answered as he scratched the back of his head. Silence fell upon the two, and it felt awkward. Well, at least to the boy it did. A few moments passed, and a grin crossed the boy's face as he extended his hand once more. "Hey! The name's Heishi. Furubasa, Heishi. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss?"

Gina just looked at him for one second before turning her attention towards the weird surroundings. "Hagarashi, Gina." She answered. Looking at her surroundings, she found more bolted windows. The atmosphere felt different, as well. There was a feel of mysteriousness and a sense restriction. She folded her arms across her chest as she began walking down a corridor. "Don't let your guard down." She advised, though she wasn't sure on what to be cautious about. She then left Heishi, confused and quite discouraged that she didn't accept his gestures at all.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep...

"No paranormal readings yet..." Muttered Gina, holding out some sort of GPS device in her hand. Being a ghost-hunter and all, she always made sure that she was prepared to do any paranormal investigations. Though many found this weird and downright useless, Gina didn't care. She doesn't really care of anyone's opinion. It was her decision, her choice, and that's all that mattered to her.

Somewhere around the end of the corridor, Gina begins to hear voices. In an instant, she searched her utility belt for her camera, since most ethereal beings can't be seen by the naked eye. She searched her belt thoroughly, but she was surprised to not find her camera. Shock somewhat took over her, being so possessive of her ghost-hunting equipment. Her hands began trembling as she sneakily peeked through a corner to at least find the sources of the voices. To her surprise, it was just two teenage girls, conversing over something. One of them had her brown, long waist-length hair tied in a ponytail, which emphasizes her round, blue eyes. She wore an orange t-shirt topped with a sleeveless denim vest. She also wore a pair of denim shorts and white sneakers. The other one seemed more refine and simple, however a few inches shorter than the other girl. She wore a red sundress with floral designs. She had her blonde hair in a short but cute bob cut that reaches around her shoulders, which goes quite well with her sharp, brown eyes. She also wears red-framed glasses and red high-heels. "And here I thought it was ghosts or spirits. What a disappointment..." Gina muttered to herself. She was able to overhear their conversation.

"...Do you know where the gym is?" The brunette asked, hands on hips. "I'm bored of just standing around."

The red maiden sighed, her hands behind her back as she answered, "I'm not familiar with the layout of the school, so I couldn't really help you. Also, why the gym? There are much better places to enjoy some recreation." She said with a sophisticated accent.

The other girl just vigorously hit herself on the head. "Just stop that already! You don't have to sound so fancy, you lame aristocrat."

"Pardon me, but I'm no Blue Blood. I just happened to be raised quite well, unlike you of such unrefined character." Said the one with the glasses. The two continued to bicker on as Gina silently passed by them, hoping to go unnoticed. Luckily, she was successful, however she could still hear the other two's argument continue.

"Do you even know who I am?! I'm Toraburu, Kana, one of the world-renowned rouges! You better keep your fancy words all to yourself, missy, or you'll regret it." Taunted the brunette.

The glasses girl clicked her tongue, losing her air of elegance. "Excuse me? I'm sorry, but it seems that it is **you** who doesn't know me. I'm none other than Jichiryou, Rika, Japan's most successful entrepreneur. You should be the one regretting your words, you pugnacious gorgon!"

"What does that even suppose to mean?!"

"Those two won't get along." Commented Gina as she slipped away to the next hallway.

* * *

"No, no, no, no..." Gina fretted slightly when she learned that her plasma container was missing. She began to wonder and become suspicious of the school. She noticed that the moment she arrived at Seizon High, her precious ghost-hunting equipment were being taken. She hardly knows anyone who would do so, or it could be one of the staff members confiscating it. The thought of it sent chills down Gina's spine. She sighed then vowed that whoever's been taking her stuff, they'll regret doing so. As she started pacing around the next empty corridors, she ended up bumping into a few other people. Unfortunately, she had to listen to them blabber about, due to being dragged in to the group for some unknown reason. They said that they just needed someone to decide which one was right. Of course, being herself, she was not interested in interacting with other people or classmates alike. Instead, she just tried to pick out their names and their appearance just to simply recognize them.

"Listen, you imbecile. I don't want to continue wasting my time on you. Time is money." Maron Kantle stated, frustration evident in his features. He was the first foreign-like student Gina seen, or met, in the school. His messy brown hair, black eyes, and perfect facial features would attract any naïve girl, no doubt. He wears a white long-sleeved dress shirt that is folded whilst topped with a black, navy silk dressing robe, sleeves also folded. He paired this with black pants and dress shoes, then accessorized with a loose, red tie. His entire outfit somewhat fitted his tall and slender build quite well, making him more attractive to a woman's eyes, despite the fact that he has a rather intolerable personality.

"Vraiment, monsieur? But you've already wasted half an hour trying to tell me off." Teased Paylor Swzitch, another foreign student. He was taller than Maron, and has a more fit and muscular build, probably due to his "work". He too has brown, messy hair, however, he also has a concealed, braided ponytail under it all, and the color is slightly on the dark-red side. Having sharp, brown eyes, it's sometimes covered by his fringes. He wears a white dress shirt with folded sleeves, and it was topped with a brown, leather, buttoned vest. He wore brown pants with black dress shoes, and he had a utility belt where he keeps all his tools and wears a pair of steam-punk goggles over his head. He averted his eyes towards the girl who was in-between them. "He's a funny guy, right, Mei?" He said with a smile.

Shizukana, Mei looked up towards the Frenchman, quite flustered and surprised. "U-Uh, yeah!" She replied, stuttering her words. She gave out a light yet quivering smile as she looked towards Maron. "I-I mean, you have been with us f-for quite awhile now." Her appearance depicted that she may be the youngest out of all she met until now. Her height, no more than five feet, made her feel uncomfortable at times, but it does go well with her outfit. She had a Lolita appearance, wearing a light-green long-sleeved dress with ruffled sleeve-edges and skirt. She also has green-roses left shoulder-piece, white stockings and dark-green doll shoes to complete the look. She has silky, white hair that reaches her shoulders that curls inwards, which emphasizes her big, round gray eyes. She had porcelain skin, and because of her petite physique, she almost doll-like. "U-Um, would you two please be quiet...I'm trying to read..." Mei muttered as she hid herself behind a fantasy novel.

Gina sighed as she looked from one to the other. She felt like her existence was completely forgotten as she quietly walked away from them. Hands in pockets, she bit her lip as she wondered over the strange things that she'd experienced so far and the people she met, or saw, until now. "What's with this place? Why do I feel like nothing good is going to happen?" Just as she was about to enter a classroom, a loud siren burst through the rooms and hallways, alerting the students of an announcement. The warning was so loud that it somehow surprised or startled some of the students. Static noises were made before a voice could materialize through the speakers.

"Testing, testing! Mic check, one, two, three!" Shouted the voice behind the speakers in a high-pitched tone. "Hehehe, welcome to Seizon High, you guys! This is the Headmaster speaking, so you better listen." The Head invoiced, assertiveness present in his tone. "All students are to assemble in the School Gym for Orientation! Make sure to not get left behind. See ya!" And with that, the voice was cut off.

By now, students on campus were either rushing towards the designated place or taking their time in getting-used to their new surroundings. Gina, though being the type of person to not take part in most events or to have any interaction, decided to go to the gym. ("It's just Orientation,") She thought as she made her way towards the place. ("Maybe I can have my questions answered there.") With that, she began pacing herself. As she reached the entrance of the gym, she could immediately hear voices on the other side. Gina took a deep breath, then a crooked smile suddenly crossed her face. ("Maybe I'll find something more than answers...") She thought. Maybe the school has some paranormal activities going on, or maybe a dark history that would be explained to the students. Just thinking of it somehow enlightened Gina. However, for now, she has to keep calm and take in information little by little. Wiping the smile off her face, she reached out towards the handles of the doors and pushed them open, then she entered.

* * *

**Alright, that was the first part of two of chapter two, since I'm still in need of more submissions. Around 8 more would do :) So, I hoped that you enjoyed this chapter, and that you have gotten an idea for an OC submission.**

**In Danganronpa, there are the titles "Super Duper Highschool..." for each student, to show their standings in life. I'll probably be using this as well with the students, but it depends. Also, if I were to use it, then I'll be the one to give your OC the title, depending on Interests, Talents, etc. However, if you want to give your OC a title, then go ahead and I'll consider it.**

**So, thank you for reading and hope to hear from all of you!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	3. Students' Assembly (2 of 2)

**Alright, new chapter up! Thank you for those who submitted the last needed OCs I need to continue the story. As said before, your Character's survival will depend on votes which I will put up minutes after I update this. Also, note that I'll be the one to choose who kills and who gets killed, also depending on votes. By the way, the Gymnasium looks the same like Hope Peak's Academy's. Anyway, let's move on!**

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As soon as Gina entered the Gymnasium, she found a group of familiar faces mixed in with a group of entirely new ones. The first new face that came up to her was a high-spirited girl with waist-length, bright-red hair with bangs pushed to the side, which emphasizes her gray eyes. Her slightly tanned and was topped with a standard school uniform outfit, such as a black, pleated skirt with a white collared-shirt and a black jacket with an emblem. She accessorized herself with a bowtie that matches her hair. Gina noticed that the girl was slim yet well-muscled, for some reason. She was a bit startled when the girl began talking all of a sudden.

"Hey, look at this, guys!" She yelled, which was unnecessary. She turned towards the others and exclaimed, "Another classmate! The more, the merrier, right?" She averted her attentions towards Gina again, hands on hips. "Hi, the name's Akane. Miyamoto, Akane. And you are?" She inquired with an expression of curiosity.

"Uh...Hagarashi, Gina." She answered. She wasn't used being around such a clamorous girl, so she wasn't sure on how to respond at moments.

The girl named Akane smiled. "Nice to meet you, Gina!" Once that was over, she immediately asked, "Your utility belt, does it hold guns or something like that?"

"W-What?" Gina questioned, confused slightly. "Um, I don't really use guns. This is for my ghost-hunting equipment."

"Ghost-hunting?!" She shouted, causing some nearby students to look at them.

Gina mentally shook her head, regretting talking to Akane immediately. Of course she would find it weird and unusual. It's not often you meet a ghost-hunter with zero-percent social contact. It has always been like that in her previous schools. ("Terrible mistake, Gina.") She told herself.

Akane just stared at Gina with a surprised expression. The ghost-hunter was about to walk away when the girl exclaimed, "Awesome!"

"Huh?"

"You use those plasma container things to capture ghosts, right?! It's like using a gun or something!" Akane went on. With a grin, she said, "Hehe, sorry for the outburst. I'm just really fond of gun mechanics and stuff."

Gina just looked at the girl and, somewhat not expecting the reaction. "...Is that so?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty much of a gun-maniac. I also like movies, but not those romantic kinds. Also-"

"Hey, Akane!" Suddenly, a tall and slender, messy, strawberry-blonde hair boy snaked his arm around the girl's neck. His sharp, blue eyes, covered slightly by his messy fringes complimented his fair skin and physique. He wore a rather formal outfit, which consists of a gray dress-shirt topped with a black, unbuttoned tux with a pair of black pants and black dress-shoes. He also wore a loose tie around his neck. "I see you got yourself a new friend!~"

"Excuse me? We're not frie-"

"Yeah!" Akane answered as she flashed a grin at Gina. "Gina and I are buddies now."

"I never said-" She didn't notice that the blonde had quickly wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You have such a unique taste for clothing..." He cooed as he eyed her, giving a seductive look. Gina pushed the man away as she took a step back. He merely let out a soft giggle. "Hehe, sorry to startle you, Gina. I'm Kuroai, Himitsu. Nice to meet you!"

"H-Hi..." She was quite flustered, either that or surprised that Himitsu casually got close to her. She immediately walked away before they can do anything else. Just as she thought she was out in the clear, another new face approached her. He was tall in height and pale and lean in physique. He has a long, black hair that reaches his neckline, and has a matching goatee that is about an index-finger long with a pair of deep-green eyes. The man's outfit, to Gina, was out of the ordinary. He wore an outfit that is similar to what would Shakespeare would wear, only topped with an apron.

The boy greeted her with a smile and a somewhat-bubbly tone. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle!"

("Is he speaking French?") Gina wondered, though she did heard Paylor talk in the language a while ago.

"Hehe, my name is Liam Trouillefou. My full name is quite a mouthful, so I thought that I spare you the trouble." He exclaimed with a grin. Gina immediately introduced herself so she can take her leave. "Don't you want to see some of my artworks, Madame?!" He shouted out to her, who pretended that she didn't hear him.

("I didn't know there'd be this many extroverted students...") Gina thought to herself as bumped into a familiar face. She looked up to see a smile on his face, and a quite embarrassed expression. "Heishi?"

"H-Hey! Great to see you again, Gina. How's socializing coming along?" He asked, hands in his pants' pockets.

"What does it matter to you?" She inquired bluntly, though she was quite relieved that he's someone that doesn't just go shouting things or something like that.

Heishi laughed slightly. "Just curious, that's all. You seemed like a pretty silent type of person."

Gina just looked at Heishi then sighed. "Is that so?" From behind her, she could hear Liam calling her as he ran towards her.

"I didn't startle you, did I, madame? You left in such a hurry." He asked with a sad expression.

From what she'd seen so far, Liam was probably the type of person to be in high-spirits most of the time, and will get sad when he thinks that he did something wrong. With a sigh, she looked at him then replied, "No you didn't. Well, not as much."

Liam then became his usual self as he heaved a sigh of relief. "A-Alright then! Just making sure."

Gina yawned discreetly as she took a look around, only to be interrupted by Heishi poking her. "Hey, you seemed to have zone out slightly. Is something the matter?"

"I'm bored." She replied bluntly. So far, there were no ghosts or spirits or anything of the like, just loud and ill-mannered students. She began to wonder when will the Headmaster begin the Orientation. She wasn't sure how long it has been since she arrived, and she doesn't want to spend another minute in the gym full of people.

Heishi, who was surprised that the conversation didn't really continue, began talking to Liam, who proudly showed his artworks to him. Gina returned to her thoughts of her mind, just to block out the noises of the room as chatter began to fill the room. Just then, two new faces approached the group. On first glance, Gina knew that both of them weren't from Japan. The male of the two has a firm and tall stature and tanned skin, with white hair pulled back until the neckline. His sharp, platinum eyes complimented his tan, and so did his outfit, which was a white with grayish-color knit sweater with pulled-up sleeves and collar, paired with gray jeans and white running shoes. He also had a chain necklace adorning his neck. "Hello there. How are you today?"

"Fine." Gina answered, arms folded across her chest.

The man simply nodded as he bowed slightly. "Forgive me for not introducing myself first. Isaiah Jyiendarius, pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Gina."

"Wait, what? How..."

Isaiah smiled softly. "I've been paying close attention to my surroundings and the people." He assured her as he straightened up. He then turned his eyes over to the woman that was silently watching them. "That maiden over there is Josephine Pagan. She isn't much of a talker, it seems." Gina looked over at the girl with platinum hair and porcelain skin. Her hair, tied into twin-tails, were around waist-length, her eyes, round and crimson. She was around Gina's height, though slightly shorter. She wore a simple white, puffed-sleeve blouse with ruffled hems and a black pencil skirt with monochrome-striped thigh socks and black doll shoes. Surprisingly, she carries around an umbrella, for some reason.

"I see..." Gina muttered as she looked at Josephine. They had eye contact, and both looked away from each other hastily. She then heard Jossy, short for Josephine, muttering something as she looked over at the far side of the room. Gina followed and saw a boy who was all by himself, watching the others. He had short, slightly-messy, black hair that brings out his somewhat nonchalant, crimson eyes. He wore a brown sweater topped with a loose dress-shirt with black pants and sneakers. He made no contact with other students, and he seemed lonely as well. ("Another introvert, it seems...)

Like on cue, Isaiah walked over to Gina and told her some information regarding the distant boy. "His name is Emire, Junko. Just like Josephine, he's not much of a conversation-person, nor seem to be the whispering-type."

Whispering type? "Excuse me." She then walked away. It's not like that she wanted to go away from him, it's just that how he was able to get information quickly and easily was somehow strange and creepy. Well, it's not like she's strange and creepy herself. Just as she was getting deep in thoughts, she just happened to bump into another student, which was the second time that day.

As she was falling back, someone had wrapped his hands around her waist as though to catch her. As Gina balanced herself, she pushed away from whoever caught her. "Eh? That's no way to say 'thank you', Gina-chan." Weeped Himitsu, who she now calls 'playboy'.

"T-Thanks, Himitsu..." She stuttered, just hoping to shut him up.

"O-Oh my! I'm so sorry." Cried a voice from her side. The boy she bumped into rushed to her side and bowed his head. "I'm terribly sorry! I-I didn't see you, or something." Gina merely shook her head, reassuring the boy that he'd done no harm and that it was not his fault.

After the apologies, the boy had a weak smile and said, "I-I'm glad...oh, I forgot," He then bowed his head again then said, "Kokushibyou, Asura. T-That's my name."

"Hagarashi, Gina." She replied back, standing up and taking a better look at Asura. Just look most of the boys, he had messy, brown hair that reaches his neckline and his fringes sometimes cover his golden-brown eyes. He's shorter than most guys, and he had a slender build. He wore a typical school uniform, consisting of a white dress-shirt topped with a loose, black robe, paired with black pants and dress-shoes. He accessorized himself with a loose, red tie. "Um, nice to met you then." She then thought, ("I've met a lot of strange classmates...")

* * *

"Hey," Himitsu interrupted, looking towards the gym's stage platform. There was a podium and an empty table beside it. "When do you think the orientation will start?" Just then, a loud siren started blowing, catching everyone's attention as they averted their attention towards the stage. When the alarm ended, something just shot right out of the podium. It did a triple flip before landing onto the table beside it.

"Upupupupu!" Sounded the weird, monochrome-sided bear-like creature. He danced on the table, spun around, then pointed towards the students in the gym. ""Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!"

EH?!

"What the heck? It's a teddy bear!" Shouted Maron, obviously frustrated from waiting.

"Oh my, there are no strings attached, yet it's moving on its own." Isaiah invoiced, looking at the bear curiously.

"I don't get it." Kana pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Can I just kick the thing off the stage?"

The bear started giving its 'cute face' as it hopped off the stage. "Fufu, you want to kick me? The Headmaster of Seizon High?"

EH?!

"Headmaster?! You?!" Questioned Rika, startled and aghast.

"But...you look like some sort of kid's toy..." Muttered Heishi, looking at the bear.

"Hey! Just because I'm a bear doesn't mean that I'm a children's toy!" Ranted the bear who quickly sighed and recovered. "Anywho, the name's Monokuma, Headmaster of Seizon High. Gooooooooood morning!"

"Good morning, Headmaster!" Replied a student, who now received the attention of the others. She had a petite figure, despite the fact that on her side was a sheathed katana. Her hair was pale pink, shoulder-length, and fluffy and a bit curly. She had large-cerulean eyes, with compliments her fair complexion. She wore a blouse with white, mid-length sleeves with a black sweetheart neckline. She also wore a brown pleated skirt that flows with her movement, paired with white stockings and brown doll shoes.

Gina looked at girl with curiosity, either that or she was surprised. "Serene Cristalli." Said a voice behind, which Gina found out that it belonged to Isaiah. She took steps away then nodded quickly. "From what I heard," the man began. "She's the, what you may say, 'Alpha' of the Disciplinary Committee in her last school."

"I-I see..."

"Hahahaha! Good morning again!" Shouted Monokuma as he had his hands on his black-and-white belly. He recovered quickly then looked at each of the students. "Now, I shall now deliberate the rules and regulations of the school."

Gina, who only noticed the no-string creature just now, walked up to him with a somewhat crook smile on her face. She looked at him closely and asked, "Are you a spirit in a kid's toy?"

Heishi and the other student just looked at her, surprised. "Um..." Muttered Heishi, not really seeing this side of her.

"How about a ghost that took over a bear-hybrid as to haunt this school?" Questioned an enthusiastic Gina. Monokuma just trembled, as though he was confronted by a demon of some sort.

"Kid's toy? Bear hybrid? Why do my student's think of me as some kind of weird creature, upupupu?!" Monokuma began to weep as he skipped away from the students and climbed back onto the stage, struggling at it also. On stage, he sighed as he shook his head in disappointment, looking over at the students. "I'll let you off the hook for now. But next time, choose your words carefully!~" He exclaimed with a smirk. Gina just stepped back, though her crooked smile was still present on her features.

"So, what are the rules you're talking about, Headmaster?" Asked Liam, already making a masterful sketch of Monokuma on his drawing pad.

Monokuma had his back towards the students. He turned his head to look at them, but a devilish smile was present. "Rules you say?" He said with a sullen tone. All of a sudden, the atmosphere felt heavy. The grin that was on the bear's face depicted evil and murderous intent. Most of the students were aware of his expressions, though they weren't expecting the next thing Monokuma said. "Upupupupu...the rules? Simple, you must kill each other to survive."

* * *

**Alright, now all the characters have now been debuted and are ready for action! Finally, the death game has begun! Hope you're all ready for the killings and executions to come :'D Anyway, the Voting of Favorite Characters will be up soon, so stay updated for the next chapter!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	4. Let the Death-Game Begin!

**Alright, now I'm thinking that I'll probably do an update once a week (Two updates if I'm going to be out for quite a while). Anyway, welcome back to Seizon High!~ I'll start using first POV all throughout the story, since I'm having hard time writing in third perspective. Hope you're ready to see what I have in store for our dear students…**

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**Gina's First Point-of-View**

"Upupupupu…the rules? Simple, you must kill each other to survive." The entire gym went silent. Soon after, the words that the bear spoke had dawned on us all.

WHAT?!

"Are you frigging kidding me?! What kind of f&%#*! up rule is that?!" Kana shouted as she stomped over to Monokuma, outraged.

Liam, mouth slightly open, muttered, "W-What kind of rule is that? C'est fou..."

("Did I just hear it right?") I thought. I myself was shocked from what Monokuma had told them. "Kill to survive?"

"Ding Ding Ding Ding!" Monokuma cheered. "That's correct! From here on out, it'll be kill or BE KILLED, bwahahaha!"

Mei just whimpered, scared. Heishi tried to say something, but couldn't pull through. Rika merely looked at the Bear with a glare. "So you're saying that this will be a dog-eat-dog kind of game? Why have such a rule?"

Monokuma, hands behind his back, gave out a smirk. "Upupupupu, just to make things "entertaining". It'll be no fun to watch you guys live a normal, high-school life, now would it?"

"Hold on a minute!" Akane yelled out as she rushed in front of Monokuma. "So you're saying that killing each other is fun?! That's just sadistic, actually, much worse. IT's CRUEL AND INHUMANE!"

"Hush now! I heard that the loud ones get it first!" Monokuma yelled then laughed. "If you're going to see it through the grizzly's eyes, then you'll agree that it's entertaining!"

"What does that suppose to mean?!"

"Anywho," Monokuma began walking away as he waved his hands around. "You'll be staying in this school for quite a while, and there's no way to get out of here!"

"Would you care to elaborate?" Paylor requested with a light smile. I wasn't sure if he was clueless on what's going on, or just doesn't want to dampen himself with fear.

The bear thing turned his attention back on us students and nodded. "Very well, seeing as you're asking politely~" He faked a cough then began, what I believe is, the long-awaited Orientation. "In Seizon High, only the best of the best or those of great potential can enroll here. Either that, or you're just that lucky Lottery Winner, upupupupu..."

("He's just basically reciting what he wrote on the letter...") I thought as I folded my arms across my chest and continued to listen.

"First and foremost, I would like to show you guys what other people have titled you as." With a snap of his furry fingers, a big television screen rose from the stage and flickered on, showing the following on the screen:

**Ultimate...**

_Ghost-Hunter - Hagarashi, Gina_

_Combatant - Furubasa, Heishi_

_Rebel - Toraburu, Kana_

_Entrepreneur - Jichiryou, Rika_

_Gambler - Maron Kantle_

_Inventor - Paylor Swzitch_

_Internet Idol - Shizukana, Mei_

_Sharpshooter - Miyamoto, Akane_

_Hacker - Kuroai, Himitsu_

_Art Prodigy - Liam Trouillefou_

_Watcher - Iasiah Jyiendarius_

_? - Josephine Pagan_

_Luckster - Emire, Junko_

_? - Kokushibyou, Asura_

_Alpha - Serene Cristalli_

I looked up at the screen and sighed. Do we really have to have that? Now people will think that I'm paranoid or crazy, since I'm a ghost-hunter. I scrolled my eyes down the screen and somehow got more curious on the others. People like Kana, Rika, and Maron were pretty obvious. Heishi, I kinda half-guessed and half-confirm him. Paylor and Mei surprised me slightly. I didn't know he was an Inventor, and that she was an Internet Sensation. ("I thought Mei was a bookworm...guess I was wrong.") Again, Akane, Liam and Isaiah were an open-book, and Isaiah just told me what Serene was called. I was surprised at Himitsu and Junko. The playboy actually has some useful skills, and Junko was the one who won the Lottery. Moving on, I was curious with Asura and Josephine. What are their titles?

"Ahem!" Monokuma caught our attention once more and continued what he was saying earlier. "You are titled according to your special capabilities and how people see you! Of course, the Luckster is just the Lottery Winner, no big deal, upupu." He laughed slightly.

I batted an eye towards Junko and saw him heave a heavy sigh. How could Monokuma be so insensitive? "Please continue." I asserted, just to make the bear stop and move on.

Monokuma laughed then finally stopped. "Right, now then, moving on with how this school will operate. This is just like any other school, complete with dorms with private bathrooms, trash disposal, cafeteria, laundry room, so on and so forth. With that said, there are some places you have no access to at the moment, but don't worry, they'll be open to you all sometime in the future!"

"So there are places in the school that are restricted?" Serene asked.

Monokuma nodded. "Yup. Sure, it'll be boring at first, but I'm sure that once you've all adjusted to your new environment, you'll never want to leave!" He then immediately added, "Also, the cafeteria restocks food daily, and so does daily tasks, such as trash disposal and some others."

"You're really trying to make this place tolerable, aren't you?" Maron retorted, frustrated with the happenings so far yet lazy to make any assertions. The bear just simply laughed out loud and nodded.

Asura gulped then took a step forward. "U-Um...can you e-explain the 'kill to survive' rule you were s-saying earlier?"

"Eh?" Monokuma tilted his head to the side, as though he doesn't know what Asura was talking about. He then snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Oh right! That Rule!" He then faked another cough and continued. "In this school, I decided to add some 'drama' and 'suspense' to your lives. With that, I present you...dadatada! Death Game on Campus, where students are free to kill each other to their hearts content!~"

"Why would we kill each other?" I asked bluntly.

"Hm? Why, you ask?" Monokuma began dancing around while saying, "Because killing is your ticket outta here!"

I went silent when I got my answer. "Wait...you mean..."

"We get to leave this place by killing someone?" Himitsu finished, quite appalled.

"Yep, that's about it!" Monokuma cheered. "I don't care how you do it, whether it is stabbing them, burning them, crushing them, it doesn't matter, as long as you kill someone! However, there are things that you must know, like 1. You have to really murder someone. You can't fake it, 'cause I have my sweet cameras everywhere!"

"You'll be watching us 24/7?!" Heishi questioned.

"Yep, so I can watch each and every one of you as you live your affluent and gloomy lives here. Another to this rule is that 2. Don't get caught. If no one is able to figure out who killed who, then that person leaves the school, all fine and dandy!"

"So if we kill someone and gotten rid of all the evidence that could lead to others figuring out the killer, we can leave this hellhole?" Maron questioned aggressively, practically over with the calm and cool persona.

Monokuma nodded and laughed. "That's about it for that rule! Feel free to kill whenever you want, I won't stop you."

Just as the bear started walking away, Kana stood in front of him. "Alright, cut the c*&%. I'm not taking on your little joke, you child's toy!"

"I'm not a kid's toy, I'm your Principal!"

"F$^% that!" Kana took hold of the bear and held him up. "You better let us leave before I take out your core or something!"

Monokuma began flailing his arms and shouted, "V-Violence against the P-Principal is against the school's regulations!" And with that, Monokuma's entire body began vibrating vigorously.

"W-What?" Kana just merely looked at it with confusion, when all of a sudden, Junko grab hold of her hand and pulled her away from Monokuma, who, once released, became a ball of steel spikes that could kill anyone in short-range. "T-The heck..."

Everyone else was shocked at what happened. The Monokuma "Spike Ball" then exploded into nothingness, only leaving ashes on the gym floor. I looked around, and I saw no signs of its presence. "I-Is it dead?" Mei asked, tearing up slightly.

"No...it's still here..." Junko muttered as he averted his attention towards the Podium, then everyone else followed him. To our dismay, the bear popped out the same way it did before. He let out a hearty cackle, then glared at us.

"I'll let you off with a warning for now. The next time you break the school rules, I'll make sure you get a worthy punishment!" He exclaimed, then heaved a sigh then waved at the students. "Anyway, I hope you enjoy your stay! Just remember: It's an all-you-can-kill, kill-or-be-killed, killing-killing-killing-all-around world! Gyahahahaha!" And with that, Monokuma disappeared from the stage, leaving us students bewildered of our current situation.

* * *

Each and everyone of us either began panicking or become careful and suspicious. I was one part of the group that became highly suspicious of others. "So, killing someone from this group will get us out of here."

"Are you serious, Gina?! Are you planning to kill someone?!" Akane questioned, who I replied to with a sigh. I decided not to answer her, but simply shook my head. Luckily, it shut her up.

Kana and Heishi returned from the corridors, and from the looks on their faces, they didn't bear any good news. "It's no good, all the windows are blocked real tight. There's no way to take down those steel plates, even with brute strength." Kana reported as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"It seems sound-proof as well, so calling for help won't do us any good, either." Heishi added in dismay.

"Some certain things are also missing from our person." Isaiah stated, then that's when we finally noticed that our cellphones were missing, including most of my ghost-hunting equipment.

"Monokuma..." I muttered under my breath, quivering slightly. "I-If you have my stuff, y-you better not break it or anything..." That's when I started to become paranoid. That only thing that kept me sane was that my Paranormal Activity-Detector Device was still with me. Thank goodness. "I-I swear, this is all a ghost's fault...whoever it is, it brought me here..." I whispered, though unfortunately, Himitsu heard me.

He had a smirk on. "Did you say something, milady?"

I then gave him a crooked smile, hoping that it would scare him away, for I was in no mood to talk to anyone. "Oh, nothing of the sort. Maybe what you heard was that of a ghost's...ehehe..." Himitsu merely tilted his head in confusion as he walked away. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Monokuma told me to hand these out." Paylor exclaimed with a smile as he handed to us our own Electronic Student ID. It was quite unique in design, it showed us the Student Handbook of Rules and things like, and information of the others. There are also other things in ID that I do not understand its uses yet, so I decided to ignore it for now.

"Now then," I heard Maron began as he gave us all a death glare. "I'm pretty sure that some people here are already planning their move."

Mei whimpered slightly as she said, "I-I don't think that we should kill anyone! I-I'm sure that there'll be someone outside the school to save us."

"M-Mei's right." Asura agreed, though he didn't say so with such confirmation. "I'm sure someone will notice our disappearance, sooner or later."

"And what if they don't?" Maron retorted bluntly. Asura bit his lip as he tried to think of a comeback.

Liam then stepped up and looked at us all. "There's no need to fight, mes amis! Let's just stay optimistic and wait for help, and avoid killing each other." He exclaimed, brushing his goatee with an air of confidence.

"The Frenchman is right." Serene invoiced as she nodded. "As School Alpha, I'll make sure that our lives here will be perfectly peaceful and endurable until help comes. For this to be successful, I suggest that we all cooperate and get used to out new environment!" She cheered, as though to uplift the gloomy atmosphere. However, there are some people who weren't pepped up by her speech as they began spilling out of the gym. Serene still had here smile on, but her aura changed slightly to that of irritated. "A-Alright then."

Rika clicked her tongue as she herself began to leave. She looked at me for a moment and scoffed. "Ghost-hunter, huh? Well, if anyone does die here, try to communicate with them. They'll probably keep you company now that they're in the afterlife."

"Excuse me?" She then just left without saying anything else. I didn't really listen to her, literally. I didn't understand what she said that time, so I didn't take it personally. Josephine also left without saying anything, but I was sure that she looked at me for a split second before leaving, for some unknown reason.

"..." I got silent. After everything that happened, I'm guessing that I'm suppose to explore the school for a while, seeing as everyone else is doing so.

"You're not going?" A voice asked, then I spun around and found out that it belonged to Junko. I then remembered what he did earlier when Monokuma attempted to kill Kana.

I looked at him for a moment as I analyzed his question. Going? "You mean, explore?" He nodded, then I just shrugged. I then said, "You saved Kana earlier."

He sighed then muttered, "Seems like it." He then looked at me curiously, silence taking over. I became uncomfortable with him looking at me, so I decided to excuse myself and go explore the school.

After taking a few steps outside the gym, I sighed and leaned against the wall. Was this just all a nightmare? Maybe. This could be all over if I'd just wake up. I tried pinching myself, and unfortunately, I didn't wake up. "Dang it." I started breathing heavily, concerned for the safety of her lost equipment and her survival in this prestigious school. Actually, cross-out prestigious. This school is better off being called "school of murder" if Monokuma really wants us to kill each other to leave. My mind then focused on what Maron said earlier:

_"I'm pretty sure that some people here are already planning their move."_

His words were then imprinted in my mind, because I know it is true. I would leave this place if given a much less violent option, but no, I have to kill someone to leave. I'm sure the others don't want to stay here either, but just as what that Alpha said earlier, we have to endure this place and wait for help to come. That's the best option that everyone could think off at the moment. Heaving one last sigh, I continued walking along the corridors, attempting to adjust to my new surroundings.

("Help will come. We will never kill each other...I think...")

...Thus ended the peaceful lives of the students, as they have now entered the "Death Game".

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**Hope you enjoyed the Orientation! Next chapters will now begin with story progression, conversations with the other students, and so on and so forth. The First "Exposition" will be next chapter, so expect a lot of conversations between Gina and the others. Just to add, some things the others will say may end up being an information needed in the future. **

**Don't forget to vote for your favorite characters! Your votes will determine their survival on campus.**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	5. A Mix of Gold and Pink

**Thank you for those who are reading this story! Votes are already coming in, they will decide the fate of our students for the first time! Remember again, those with the lowest votes will be a killer and kill. Also, as said last chapter, this chapter will be mostly information-gathering. What the other students will say may be "useful to the investigation" that is yet to come, so keep an eye out for important details.**

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Gina

It was the second day for us students in Seizon High, which was bad since this place became a prison for us fifteen students and that it wasn't just a bad dream. I didn't have anything else to do since the Orientation was over, except sleep, hunt, and rethink everything. Therefore, I decided to explore the Academy today. I've already visited the classrooms, walked down the different corridors, and have stumbled upon rooms like the AV Room, Gift Shop for some reason, Trash Disposal, Laundry, and some others. I've also came upon what seemed like the main entrance of the school.

* * *

_(Flashbacks are in Italic)_

_The main gate was bolted tightly with steel, with cameras watching over us and machine guns, ready to fire. I sighed as I watched Kana and Heishi tried to open it. "Nope! No good at all." Heishi shouted as he took a step back, and saw that he wasn't successful in even making a dent._

_"Quit your whining! I want to get outta here!" Kana yelled as she continued hitting the entrance brutally._

_"Can we stop? I don't like how that camera is looking at us." Heishi said as he darted an eye towards the said device._

_Kana clicked her tongue in disappointment. "So much for a soldier...yeah, guess we should stop. That gun seems ready to fire any moment..."_

_"Don't say that!"_

* * *

"So no way out yet..." I muttered as I entered my dorm and slumped on my bed. I sighed heavily, tired of the events that had happened during the previous days. With an arm over my eyes, I let my thoughts roam free for a moment. I began thinking about random stuff, like what will happen to my equipment, to us, and to those who aren't with us at the moment. My consciousness averted its attention towards my memories of my childhood. I was like any normal kid that time, but as I grew up, I've acquired this strange interest in the paranormal, the spirits, the ones unseen by the naked eye. A peculiar fascination, yes, but I enjoyed it. The others don't understand, and they'll probably won't.

Knock. Knock.

"Hm?" I turned my head towards the door as I sat up. Someone's actually looking for me? For what? I got off the bed and walked towards the door. As I turned the doorknob and opened it, the person standing before me was no other than Serene Cristalli, the supposedly School Alpha. "...May I help you?"

She gave me a warm smile. "Hagarashi, Gina, correct?" I nodded. "Good, I've already talked with the others. I would like to tell you about daily meeting that we'll all be having starting tomorrow morning. This way, we can cooperate and to better know each other. Also, we'll be having a quick gathering in the cafeteria in a few minutes. Please don't miss out!" She then bowed and left.

I watched her leave as I closed the door. I went back to my bed and sat there, pondering over my options. I could go to the cafeteria and meet up with the others, or I could stay here and sleep. I was really tired, but I got nothing else to do but sleep. Ergo, I left my dorm and headed towards my destination.

* * *

Even before I entered the place, I could hear an argument going on. I guessed that things aren't going so smoothly with the meeting. When I entered, I found my classmates standing by the sides as they watched Maron and Liam argue on about something. Serene was trying to pull them apart, but keeps getting pushed back by the Gambler. I stood next to Heishi and watched the scene as well. He turned to look at me. "Neither of them wants to back down or something.

I turned to look at Heishi with a slightly nonchalant but curious expression. "What started it?"

"Um...well, it started with Maron watching Liam strangely, then all of a sudden, he snatched that thing out of Liam's hand." He answered as he pointed towards the sketchbook in Maron's hand.

"Who do you think you are to critique my Masterpiece?!" Liam shouted as he attempted to snatch it back, which apparently was stolen a few moments ago.

The Gambler sighed as he held onto the sketchbook. "A simple oil-painting isn't much of a Masterpiece."

"Pardon me, monsieur, but Simplicity is also an element required in creating a magnificent artwork!" The Artist retorted bluntly, trying once more to get back his belonging. "Also, who told you that you can criticize my works?!"

Finally, Maron tossed the sketchbook away, as though bored with it. "Fine, take it back. You couldn't do anything without it, anyway..." He taunted, a smirk crossing his face.

As the Artist retrieved his things, he looked over at Maron. Obviously, he wasn't happy with what Maron said. "Shut up! I can create art with anything and anywhere!"

"You want to bet on it?" Maron said, bringing out a single coin and tossed it into the air. "I'm with Heads. If I win, you'll hand-over all of your art supplies, and you'll have to create a masterpiece with nothing but things you can improvise with." He didn't give Liam time to reply as the coin fell into his palm. He looked at the coin first then smiled as he revealed the coin, which depicted the side of the head.

"W-What just..." Liam stuttered, quite bewildered.

Maron looked at Liam with a satisfied expression. "A Bet is a Bet." He said, walking towards Liam to claim what he won.

Just then, Serene finally stepped in, and to my surprise, she stopped him with her sword. Her eyes lost all sweetness, and was replaced with a sinister look. "You've caused a lot of trouble, you insolent brat!" She let out a crooked smile as she attempted to impale him.

"Hey, watch where you thrust that thing!" He shouted as he dodged sideways to avoid getting stabbed.

("Is she going to kill him?!") I thought to myself as I looked at the others, who also seemed shocked and surprised as I am. Isaiah quickly grabbed Serene by the arm and tried to calm her down. Mei and Paylor also stepped in to help as Liam went over to Maron. As for me, I watched the entire scene.

"There's no need for a bet." I heard Liam told Maron as he gave him a confident grin. "I accept your challenge, mes-amis. Just don't start crying when you see what I come up with."

Maron simply nodded. "Alright then. If I liked it, I'll praise you." He said. "Oh, I need to get your supplies from your room, just to be sure." Liam nodded, then Maron went towards the Kitchen. After 5 minutes, he came out with a sandwich in hand. "Okay, let's go."

The two left, and seeing that there was some sort of chaos in the cafeteria, I decided to leave before I get caught up in it. "Well...first meeting didn't go so well..."

* * *

Days in Seizon High passed quickly. I went to my room early that day due to very tiring events, and I don't want to get included with anyone's antics. I looked at the clock, and saw that it was 9:20 in the evening. Since it was almost bedtime, most of my classmates should be in their respective rooms or already sleeping. I looked around my room before leaving it to check on something. I wanted to check if there are any Paranormal Readings during the night before turning in. I checked each of the accessible rooms - some rooms were locked earlier, at times** -** before heading towards the cafeteria to check it next. I then remembered that I dI'd this before yesterday...

* * *

_Along the way at the same time, I bumped into Kana. "...What are you doing?" I asked, tucking my Ghost Radar away._

_She clicked her tongue as she looked at me. "Is that any of your business?" She questioned, but smirked as she exhibited a weapon that she acquired from somewhere. It was a long sword with a golden-leaf coating. She did a few thrusts and parries with it. "Cool, isn't it?"_

_I stared at it long enough for me to recognize it. It was from the room before the Gymnasium, if I remembered correctly. I touched it lightly, but then got paint on my fingers. Just great, the paint comes off easily, yet Kana doesn't mind. I sighed as I looked at Kana and answered, "I guess so. You stayed up just to get that?"_

_Kana scratched her head as she thought about it. "Guess so? Maybe. Look, I'm not a big fan of "death" or anything like that, got that? I thought I find something to, you know, stab someone if needed."_

_Stab someone if needed? Just hearing that invoice made me be cautious around her. "But...aren't you already physically capable of defending yourself?" I asked curiously, but she just hoisted me up in the air by the neck._

_"You want me to die?! I prefer to make sure that I don't get ambushed unprepared, that's all!" She retorted aggressively as she put me down and sighed. I looked at her, and she seemed pretty tired. "Look, I'm just going to bed now. See ya later, kid..."_

* * *

As I arrived at the kitchen, I look at the clock and it said 9:45. I better hurry up if I don't want to get locked up in here. I did a quick look around with my radar. Sadly, I received no readings. Instead, I acquired a strange yet somewhat interesting conversation with Paylor, who was up in the kitchen preparing Milk Tea.

"How old are you again?" I asked again, quite shocked with the answer the second time.

He laughed a bit as he said, "I'm 28. Surprising, yes?"

"Quite." I said. "So, you've stopped schooling years ago and only started again recently?" I asked, looking at the Frenchman with a hint of curiosity.

Paylor nodded. "Oui. I found school to be quite...troublesome. Not only with the teachers, but with the students as well."

"Why?"

"Well..." He sighed slightly as his positive mood somewhat diminished. "When I was younger, not many are very fond of my, what you may say, character. They thought of me as a weird person, and that I make light of important matters and suggest very ambitious, peculiar and impossible ideas. They also tend to make fun of my first few inventions that never seem to work no matter how much work and thought I put into it. They don't like me being around them either, even when I attempt to cheer them up if they need it."

At that moment, I felt like I could relate my life to his experience. Many are not really interested in ghosts and spirits as much as I do. They were scared of what may happen to them, so they tend to avoid me as much as possible. My parents didn't want me to be like this either, but they eventually accepted it. I was actually glad that they did, since I never wanted to change from who I am now. "I see...must be hard for you..."

He looked at me sincerely then smiled. "...You too, perhaps?" He said, then I just shrugged. He nodded, then all of a sudden, let out an enlightening laugh. "Hehe, we should go now. It's almost 10!" He exclaimed, then I looked at the clock and it read 9:55. I nodded as we both head back towards our dorms, and I was quite glad that no one was in the corridors around this time. He escorted me first to mine before going to his. "Bonne nuit, mademoiselle." He bid as he bowed then left. I watched him for a moment before turning in. I was in my room just in time to wash my hands and hear Monokuma's evening announcement.

**"It's 10:00! Night Time! Water supply has been cut off, and most doors are now locked! Now, get to bed! Goodnight~!"**

* * *

As morning came, I was staring at the ceiling for no apparent reason. My head was pounding from all the exhaustion from yesterday, and I could feel it returning as I dread for the upcoming events. I averted my head towards the screen that flickered on all of a sudden, which showed Monokuma making an announcement.

**"Good morning, you bastards! It's 7 in the morning! Time to wake up! Let's all strive to do our best today!"**

The screen went black. I sighed. I didn't feel like getting out of bed today, but unfortunately, I have to attend to the "meetings" that Serene had come up with since yesterday. I wouldn't want her to knock down my door just to get me, so I took a quick shower, got dressed, then left for the cafeteria. When I entered, I saw Paylor and Mei, conversing with one another. Mei looked at me then smiled brightly. "Good morning, Hagarashi-sama!"

"G-Good morning, Mei." I replied as I walked over to them.

"How was your sleep, madame?" Paylor asked, sipping on more Milk Tea. I just nodded and reassured him that no tried to kill me. He laughed slightly whilst Mei just looked at me worriedly. I told her that I was just kidding, and that there was nothing to worry about. She smiled again as she continued practicing Japanese Calligraphy. "I've asked Mei here to show me an example of Japanese characters." Paylor said.

"Is that so?"

"Hai!~" Mei exclaimed as she showed Paylor her work. As he was examining it, Mei turned to look at me. "Apparently, not all of us can write Kanji or Katakana, the same goes with the Alphabets and other kinds of writings." I just nodded. I, myself, am not good at writing the characters that foreigners use internationally. I assumed that Mei had some knowledge on it, and that Paylor had no idea what he was reading. I just continued to listen each of them. As time passes, more of my classmates came through the canteen doors. After me, it was Isaiah and Josephine, then it was Serene scolding on a sleepy Heishi and a boisterous Akane. They were then followed by Asura, Junko, and Rika. I was surprised that we are 4 students short.

Serene looked around, calm and collected like her usual self. "Hey, does anyone know who's missing?" We all looked at each other curiously.

I, for one, noticed who were. "Himitsu, Liam, Maron, and Kana, right?" I answered, however, only Paylor, Mei and Isaiah heard me. I sighed as I looked at the others. ("Deaf...")

Just then, Liam entered the cafeteria, yawning slightly and looking tired. Despite all that, he let out a grin and exclaimed, "Bonjour, mes amis! Pardon me for being late."

"What took you so long?" Serene questioned him.

He sighed lightly as he then answered, "Can I not answer that, Madame?" His answer didn't satisfy Serene as she began scolding him. I looked around, and still no Kana, Himitsu and Maron. I felt like there's something bad that happened to them, like...

The cafeteria doors swung open as Himitsu barged in. I looked at his face, and it looked like he saw a ghost or something. He was panting as Heishi and Junko walked towards him. They asked him what was wrong, and he merely muttered, "...D...Dead..."

All of us were silent as we did nothing but stare at him. Most of us doubted his words, never wanting to believe his words. Junko stayed calm and asked, "Where?"

"G-Gymnasium..." Himitsu muttered as he collapsed on the floor. I don't know why, but I jumped out of my seat and rushed towards the Gym, followed by Paylor and Rika. As I reached the room before the gym, I stopped out the entrance, a hand on a handle.

Paylor rushed towards my side and looked at me. He panted slightly then nodded. "Open it." So I did, then we both entered. As soon as we entered, my mouth dropped slightly.

A dead body.

I stopped dead-track as Paylor carefully went over to the scene, stepping into small puddles of pink blood with a mix of gold paint. The corpse was face-down onto the floor in a pool of blood. I took a few steps closer to get a better look, and I was shocked to see who it was.

Rika came in and took a quick glimpse at the scene. Immediately, she took steps back. "T-This can't be..."

With a golden sword impaled through the abdomen, I muttered, "...K-Kana?!"

Out of nowhere, I could hear Monokuma maniacally laughing. He then made an announcement: **Three people have discovered the body! I'll now give you time to Investigate and figure out the culprit, upupupupu."**

**TORABURU, KANA : DEAD**

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**Yey, the first murder! :'D Okay, sorry for that...Anyway, that's the first murder, and soon will come the first Class Trial! Now, you're probably wondering...**

**Who killed Kana-chan?~**

**I'll leave that for you all to guess, upupu!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	6. First Class Trial

**Okay, Previous Chapter (if you haven't read it), someone murdered Toraburu, Kana. I've already left some information that may help with finding the culprit. Hehehe, thought that I put that out. Anyway, go right ahead...**

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**"Three people have discovered the body! I'll now give you time to Investigate and figure out the culprit, upupupupu."**

Monokuma announced enthusiastically as we stood there, staring down on the wasted corpse of Toraburu, Kana. Rika and I just looked over at the dead body as Paylor took out the sword that was impaled through her. I felt sick, and somehow frightened. Ghosts and spirits are one thing, but blood and death are another. One by one, my classmates found out about what happened, and now most were in the gym to examine the scene.

"Il ne peut pas être!" Shouted Liam as he kept his distance from the corpse, eventually leaving afterwards.

Mei started tearing up. "I...I thought...w-we wouldn't..." She let out a soft 'hic' as Heishi tried to comfort her.

Isaiah looked around then asked, "Isn't it that if we don't know who killed Kana, then it means that person leaves, right? Why still investigate?"

Monokuma just answered through the speakers. **"So you really want this person to leave?! I don't think so! All of you have to go through Class Trial, and that's that!"**

"What's a Class-" But I was cut off as Monokuma switched the speakers off and somehow, threw what seemed like a "Monokuma File" towards us. I sighed. ("I guess I just have to figure it out later.) I thought as I picked up the file and read its contents. Toraburu, Kana was found around 9:30 in the morning in the Gym, whilst time of death is around after 10 in the evening. Cause of death is either the abdomen injury or severe loss of blood.

I heard Junko sigh before he said, "It seems there's more to this than just merely killing someone and hiding evidence. In the meantime, we should try to find some clues that can lead us to the culprit." I nodded. I looked over at Mei, who was still crying over our classmate's death

"Let's go somewhere else for now." Heishi suggested to Mei, turning to look at me. "I'm not good with finding evidence and stuff like that, so...g-good luck to you all!" He exclaimed as he escorted Mei out.

Asura also decided to leave the investigating to the others. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help. I just don't like how this looks..." He said with a slight bow as he left. He was followed by Josephine, who absolutely didn't say anything.

"I'm going to watch over the others, just to make sure that none of them makes any suspicious movements." Serene muttered, who left quickly to follow the others. As she left, Akane came in, as always, loud and talkative.

"Hey guys!" She stopped dead-track as she saw Kana. "God, what happened to her?! I thought Himitsu was just kidding!"

"Kidding?" I asked. Why would she think that the playboy was joking around? Sure, he likes to tease, but this is...

Akane just shook her head vigorously and walked up to us. "Okay, so first of all, I can't help with the investigation. I want to watch something in the AV Room. Second, I found Maron!"

"Where?" Rika asked.

"In the Kitchen. He was preparing something to drink and eat. Actually, I think he needs it. You should've seen it, he looked terrible!" She shouted, which was unnecessary.

"He was sick? He told you?" Isaiahh asked.

Akane scratched her head and answered. "Um...maybe..."

* * *

_Akane_

_Gina and the others left for the gym whilst I'd just stayed behind. I looked over at Himitsu as he rested on a chair. "You're kidding about the dead body and all, right?" I asked with a smirk. He just stared at me and sighed. I sighed as well. As the others that stayed behind left as well, like on cue, Maron came in. He was walking like a zombie as he treaded towards the kitchen, hands wrapped around his body. I decided to check on him. As I entered the Kitchen, I saw him reaching for a knife. "You're going to make another sandwich?"_

_He looked at me, as though surprised to see me, then heaved a heavy sigh. "P-Please don't surprise me like that...I don't feel too good today...*cough*..."_

_"Why? You ate something bad?" I asked, which he didn't answer. I continued to ask him persistently, until he gave in._

_"I just happen to *cough* feel sick when I got into bed last night, alright?! Stop *cough* bothering me!" He shouted as he averted his attention into making a sandwich, and supposedly, his tea, coughing from time to time._

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Gina

Akane then jogged out, waving back at us as she shouted something that I didn't really catch. I continued on with my Investigation as I simultaneously avoided the body. I didn't want Kana's ghost to suddenly attack me for messing with her corpse. ("But seeing her ghost would be cool...") I thought, a smile crossing my face.

"Could you stop that?" Rika snapped, looking at me. I sighed then continued my investigation. After a moment of searching around, Rika and Isaiah left to find more clues. I was then left with Junko and Paylor in the Gym.

"It seems we acquired a considerable number of clues." Said Junko as he examined the said clues, such as the half-coated golden sword and a puddle of gold paint, which may have come off the sword.

"That sword may be the murder weapon." I suggested, seeing that the sword did come from Kana and that its coating was around her abdomen wound.

"Maybe." Paylor muttered. He looked over at the puddle. "The coating may have also come off there..." He muttered, though his tone had a hint of uncertainty.

"I found something." Junko called out bluntly as we came over. There were gold writings on the ground under Kana's corpse, which Junko and I couldn't understand, unfortunately. Paylor stared at it for awhile while I added, "One of her index finger is covered in gold paint , so are her hands. Maybe this is her dying message."

"What does it mean?" Junko asked, looking over at Paylor.

He just looked at us. "Um...I'll tell you later. I have to confirm something." He said then left. I also excused myself and left, deciding to check the other places.

* * *

The corridors were empty, indicating that the others must be somewhere else. Along the way, I bumped into Maron, tea and sandwich in hands. I looked at him from top to bottom. True to Akane's words, he looked like he stayed up all night while a ghost haunted him. "You look terrible."

He clicked his tongue at me. "Akane told you about *cough* my condition, it seems...*cough*..." He then simply walked pass by me as he headed towards his dorm.

"You're not going to help with the Investigation?" I asked, looking over at him.

He turned his head slightly as he gave my a glare. "You said it yourself, I *cough* looked terrible. I'm not feeling well, so I'll just rest." He then stormed off to his dorm. I sighed. I feel like I couldn't really argue with him at this moment. Time was running out, and we're still not sure who killed Kana. As I headed towards someplace else, I saw Paylor dragging Liam out of the Laundry Room. The artist looked like he was grieving over something.

"J'ai besoin de vérifier quelque chose." Paylor told Liam. "S'inquiéter à ce sujet plus tard!"

"Mes vêtements..." Liam muttered as he held onto what seemed like a ball of his clothing...covered in yellow paint? I couldn't understand French, and they quickly disappeared to the next corner. I sighed. I then decided to check the Laundry Room, since those Frenchies were just there. I looked around, and nothing was particularly interesting, except for a subtle lingering smell of burnt paper. I checked the trash can and found a big pile of ashes.

("Someone must have burned this as to hide evidence...") I thought as I examined closely, only to find blots of more yellow paint. A thought then came to me, but then suddenly...

**"Alright, you guys! Time's up! I'm getting bored down here, so let's get things started! Come through the big, red doors, and prepare for the Class Trial, upupupu!"**

I merely sighed as I made way towards my destination. I knew where it was, having taken several trips around the school. As I was walking, I feel like the clues were insufficient, and so was the time. I just hope that the others had found something informative. As I was heading to were the Class Trial was suppose to be, I saw Paylor, Liam and Mei coming from the Gym, the scene of the murder. I wanted to ask Paylor about what happened earlier, but he just walked pass by me. All of us students, including Maron who was still unwell, stepped into the elevator that Monokuma indicated to us. As we reached the bottom floor, we entered a room which had a rather grandeur and bold interior. There were fifteen wooden handrail fences, all forming a circle and that each and every one of us is facing each other. There were name tags as well, indicating where we were suppose to be. As we took our places, Monokuma popped out of his throne.

"Upupupu, welcome to the Courtroom, where all Class Trials will be held starting today! Let's start with a simple explanation of our school trial! The result of the trial is determined by your own votes. If the correct culprit is chosen, they alone will be punished. However... if the wrong person is voted for. Everyone but the culprit will be punished. The culprit alone, having managed to fool everyone, will publicly graduate this school!"

Akane shouted, "Wait, if that how this 'killing thing' works, then why didn't you tell us sooner?" The others looked at her curiously. "What? I just want to know."

"*cough* I agree...but *cough* I guess that bear doesn't want to *cough* keep us all alive for long..." Maron invoiced, coughing momentarily.

"And one of us had really killed Kana..." Asura muttered.

So this is it. The Class Trial he's been talking about has now cross our paths. One of us has killed our classmate, and they must secure their freedom, or else it's execution. A trial for life, a judgment of death. Deception in life, and treachery in death. Betrayal for life, and betrayal for death. The riddles of life, and the mystery of death. Justification for life, and realization in death. Faith in life, and trust in death. The Class Trial to live, or the Class Trial to die.

**Class Trial is in Session!**

"W-Why do you have that there?" Mei whimpered, as we followed the direction of her finger. She was pointing towards a pillar with a picture of Kana in her own stand, crossed out with a bloody X.

"Hm?" Monokuma looked over. "Oh that, that means that dear 'ol Kana is gone forever! This is just a tribute for her death, upupu..."

"S-She's not gone forever! She's w-with us, in our hearts!" Mei retorted.

"Or as a ghost." I said.

"Gyahahaha, good one, Hagarashi-chan!~" Monokuma exclaimed. "That line was kinda cheesy, don't you think, Shizukana-chan?" Mei just frowned.

Heishi grabbed onto the handrails. "Hey, stop that! There's nothing wrong with what she said!"

"Urusai!" Rika shouted. "Let's just start. How about we begin discussing Kana's death?"

With that said, Isaiah began reading the contents of the Monokuma file. "Time and Place of Death: After 10 last night in the Gym. Cause of Death: Impalement through the abdomen and maybe severe blood loss. Time Body was Found: Around 9:30 this morning."

Himitsu sighed slightly. "Impaled, huh? Must've hurt badly..." He muttered. "What was used?"

"Apparently, it was a sword with a gold-leaf coating." Serene answered. "I saw it when I came to the scene."

"But how can that be?" I began. "Are you sure that was it?"

Serene nodded. "Positive. Why? You were there to see it too, Hagarashi."

"W-Well," I looked away slightly. "I ran into Kana two nights ago. She was holding onto the sword that you state is the murder weapon."

"So? what's your point?" Rika demanded.

"My point it, Kana was the one with the sword, not her killer."

Asura then said, "M-Maybe she wanted to go s-suicidal?"

"No. She told me herself that she's not fond of death. I doubt she would kill herself."

Just then, we heard an unfamiliar voice, saying, "So you're saying that Kana used the sword. Is it not possible for the victim to have dropped her weapon, or left it behind, for someone else to use?" I looked around, and to my surprise, Josephine spoke. Her soft and quite voice had caught everyone's attention. "Well?"

"Took you long enough to talk, mademoiselle." Liam said with a slight grin. "But, why just now?"

"I don't feel the need to converse unless utterly needed." She answered.

I then answered her question, "That's a possibility. But I saw how scared Kana was. She wouldn't let go of the sword."

"But how did it ended up killing her?" Mei asked.

"I doubt that rebel would merely drop the weapon during a fight, as well." Rika stated.

Junko then said, "Did anyone else examine the body?" I looked around, and most of us shook our heads. I saw Junko sigh. "Fine. It's true that her cause of death is the wound found on her stomach, and it was the sword's fault. However, I was able to find another injury on Kana's corpse. It was a deep cut on the back of her leg."

"An injury from the fight, right?!" Akane shouted, as though she had caught on.

"Must be. Why else would there be a cut?" Heishi said.

Everyone agreed, except for Paylor and Junko. Paylor invoiced a statement that somehow confused us. "Was there even a fight in the first place?" We looked at each other for a moment. Isn't that Kana was killed during a fight and she lost?

"Your supporting evidence, sir?" Isaiah asked.

"The sword that Kana wielded...the blade has no scratches, or any damage or loss of paint. If Kana did use this during a struggle, isn't that it's suppose to get damaged somehow? Also, Kana's hands were covered in gold paint, and the hilt of the sword lost its coating. Meaning..."

"Kana was the one who held onto the sword, but did not use it in battle?" Liam finished. Paylor nodded.

"Has anyone seen Toraburu last night or anything?" Serene questioned suddenly. Of course, not one raised their hands. Then, Asura raised his.

"I-I may have come across K-Kana along the corridors around 9:30 last night. S-She was jogging, - okay, maybe slightly running - and was going to do it around the school for the night. She invited m-me to join her, but I turned it down."

("Wait, I was looking around the school during that time. How come I didn't see them?") I asked myself.

"She had her sword in hand, and I didn't see any cuts when I was looking at her as she jogged away." Asura finished.

"You looked at her legs?!" Akane exclaimed looking at Asura curiously.

"I-It's not like that!"

"Moving on!" Heishi shouted, stopping them. "Okay, so Kana was jogging/running last night, and the one who saw her doing so was Asura. Have you told anyone else?"

"U-Um...just those who asked."

"Who?"

"U-Uh...well, um, Rika, Liam, Maron, and maybe Isaiah..."

"So one of those four is the killer?" Himitsu questioned.

"Now hold on a second! I would never kill anyone! I was just curious of my mes amis." Liam retorted.

"I saw her last night as well, and I just want to confirm." Rika answered.

"I was *cough* with Isaiah..." Maron said.

Isaiah laughed slightly. "Yes, I was with the Gambler. You weren't feeling like that last night, right?" Maron nodded as he tried to ease his breathing. Isaiah smiled as he then added, "If there was no struggle, and Kana was the only one wielding the golden sword, it was an ambush?"

"And only five knew what was she doing last night." Josephine muttered with closed eyes. The five mentioned then began mentioning things that may cross them out of the list of suspects. Rika said that she was only curious, and returned straight to her dorm room, Asura's reason was also the same. Liam was busy doing his laundry, only completing half of them and that he decided to finish the rest the next day. Maron and Isaiah parted as they reached their dorms as well.

I looked at them. "It seems most of them have averagely solid alibis."

"What now?" Mei asked. "What other information is there?"

All of a sudden, Akane snapped her fingers. "I got it!" She shouted, her accent influencing her speech slightly. "The writings! The writings under Kana!"

"What writings?" Serene asked.

The Gunner let out a small smirk. "Just before this Class Trial began, I did a quick look-around the gym. That's when I spotted the writings! I saw her fingers covered in paint, so it must be her crying vintage!"

"Dying message." Rika corrected, whilst Akane merely laughed a bit.

Maron tried to stand up straight as he asked, "So *cough* what does it say?"

"I'm not really sure. It's a bunch of straight and curvy lines." She told us. Apparently even she couldn't understand it. "But I think Hacker guy knows! I mean, it's like a code, right?"

Himitsu sighed. "Unfortunately, I found no code resembling it." Great, so we're at a dead end again. It seems like none of us know what her dying message meant. I then remembered...

("Paylor.") I looked over at him. He looked deep in thought. "Is there something you want to say?" My words caught everyone's attention as they looked at Paylor as well. After some moments, he sighed.

"I know what the message said." He muttered. Giving no time for a pause, he said, "It spelled out Liam."

Most of us went into a state of shock, especially Liam. "Q-Que? Moi?! B-But I didn't kill her!" I saw others began muttering something under their breathes. "H-Honest! I would never kill Kana!"

"Then explain this, " Rika began. "Why would Kana leave a dying message of your name? Also, I went to the Laundry Room earlier, and I saw burnt paper in the trash and the rest of your dirty laundry which is covered in gold paint."

Liam somewhat got into an outburst. "I'm telling, I never killed anyone! I didn't see Kana last night, I didn't stab her with anything, and I never had gold paint!"

"But you are the Ultimate Art Prodigy, so maybe..." Heishi began muttering.

"You're not helping me here!"

Just then, a voice whispered, "...The Improvised Masterpiece..." I heard Josephine muttered. "The murder of Toraburu, Kana was your answer to Maron's bet, wasn't it?"

Liam then began ranting out. "I would never-"

"Dude, I never asked you to kill to win the bet!" Maron shouted, coughing afterwards.

Liam was about to retort, when Rika showed them a new evidence. "There's also this, Liam." She then showed us a broken paintbrush. "I found it in the Laundry Room. Is it yours?"

"Oui." Liam answered, quickly saying, "B-But I don't remember using it!"

"It seems we found our culprit..." Rika muttered. The others sighed and frowned slightly, but nodded their heads slowly. I sighed as well. I don't have any grudge towards Liam, but if he's the one who killed Kana, then there's no choice to place his fate in out votes. I looked over at Liam as I saw him tearing up slightly, despite the fact that he tried to hide it. I feel sorry for him, but's either his life or ours. Still though, there's something wrong with this.

Monokuma looked at us. "You guys ready to cast your ballots? Alright, then let's-"

"Hold it!" Paylor shouted. We all turned our attention towards him. "Are you sure that it's Liam? Aren't there any clues or details that may have not connected with the others?" We all pondered about what he said for a moment. We were sure it was Liam who did in Kana, but if he didn't, who did?

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**I'm terribly sorry for making this cliffhanger. Still, it should incite some curiosity and suspense. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first half of the first Class Trial. I spent a lot of hours thinking on how to put all the details and information together. So, by next chapter, we'll see if Liam is innocent or not.**

**Don't forget to vote for your favorite character!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	7. Check, All-In, Fold

**This is the continuation for the Class Trial.**

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Gina

All of us looked at each other as we tried to evaluate what Paylor had said. There were clues that doesn't connect with each other? But, it seemed like we discussed most of the information we found, right? "What else is there?"

Maron looked at him. "Y-Yeah, what *cough* kind of clues we haven't connected *cough* with?"

"Are you guys still gonna vote?" Monokuma asked sweetly.

"A-Aucun, Monsieur Monokuma!" Liam shouted quickly. He looked over at Paylor. "Mes amis, please help me..."

Paylor sighed then began. "For example, the puddle of gold paint that was next to Kana. Isn't strange that there was that much paint on the ground, despite the fact that the hilt of the sword's coating was only affected?"

"Maybe there's that much paint on it." Akane said.

"No, it can't result to that much paint. Also, Mei has something to share with you, it's about Kana's dying message." Paylor looked over at the maiden and she nodded.

"W-Well, I don't think Kana was the one who wrote that..." Mei muttered.

"How could you say that?" Isaiah asked.

"We saw her hands, all covered in paint, meaning only she can write it. Also, she's the one with the golden sword." Rika retorted.

Mei gulped then continued, "W-Well, that is true...but, the dying message...was in English. Meaning, Alphabets." She bit her lip slightly before blurting out, "K-Kana-chan can only write Japanese Characters!"

That's when I remembered what Mei told me earlier. "Only certain people understand Japanese, and others understand English, is that it?" She nodded. "If that's the case, then..."

"Toraburu couldn't have written that!" Serene stated loudly.

"A red herring, made by the real murderer?" Junko muttered. "Who could it be then, if not Kana?"

"It's still out of the five. We have to cross out Asura and Rika, first, so all that's left are Liam, Maron and Isaiah. We also have to cross out Liam. He isn't that dumb to write out the dying message with his name." Paylor said, which made Liam sigh in relief, then wondered if what the Inventor said was an insult or not.

"Now that I think about it..." Isaiah began. "I noticed how the message was written. It wasn't ordinary strokes of the fingers, but more of the brush."

"How do you notice that much?!" Serene questioned.

Isaiah merely chuckled. "No need to fret about it, Lady Cristalli."

"U-Um, so, the message was created by t-the broken paintbrush." Asura said. "But, it's still connected to Liam, with him being the Art Prodigy and all. I don't think no one else owns a paintbrush here besides him."

"You're still trying to put me down?!" Liam shouted.

"N-No! I didn't mean that."

"You're right with the ownership," Paylor said. "But it's a different story when borrowed." He finished, looking over at someone. "Isn't that right, Monsieur Maron?"

He coughed a bit before saying, "What *cough* are you talking about?"

"The bet!" Heishi shouted. "You made a bet with Liam that he should make an artwork without using any of his supplies."

"And to make sure he doesn't cheat, you took his supplies and brought them to your dorm room." Josephine finished.

Maron clicked his tongue. "T-That's true *cough*, but that doesn't mean I *cough* went out and kill Kana! Besides, I would never get my hands *cough* dirty!"

"That's why you used the paintbrush to avoid doing so. Using gold paint from Liam's art supplies, you used it to make the message. It seems like you were clumsy doing so, having spilled a bit of it." Junko stated.

Maron tried to retort, but I came in. "After you were done, you decided to lay the blame on Liam. Since it was Night-Time, and Kana's death was after 10, there was no water. Instead, you cleaned the paint off the brush with Liam's dirty laundry."

"Stop it! *cough*" Maron shouted. "I didn't do it. There was no connection between the two places, so how could you be sure?!"

"That's what the paper was for." Rika said, though she looked quite surprised, knowing that Liam wasn't at fault. "You used it to catch paint that falls of the brush until you reached the laundry room and cleaned it. You burned it afterwards, but burning paint gives off toxic gas which can cause..."

"Respiratory problems." Liam finished. "That would explain your sickly state. A-And that would explain why I felt dizzy when I entered the Laundry Room this morning..." He looked down onto the ground, as though he doesn't want to see Maron. "H-How dare you, monsieur...this is très tragique, very tragic..."

"B-Besides," Mei began. "Isn't natural that an artist get his clothes dirty from working, r-right? S-So, it wouldn't as much connect Liam and the murder."

Maron stood there as he looked at us. I saw him grit his teeth and clench his fists. He continued to cough as he said, "Then tell me, *cough* if I did kill Kana, how did I do it?"

We began thinking about it, but couldn't think of an answer. Then, Josephine said, "She jogged around the gym last night. Knowing what she was doing, you, Maron Kantle, went to ambush her. When her back was turned, you did something to catch her by surprise, thus, making her drop the sword she's been carrying around and giving her an injury. You then used the sword to finish her." As Maron was about to counter, she asked, "What do you think Maron used to surprise Kana, Hagarashi, Gina?" She looking over at my direction. I tense up slightly as I thought of an answer.

I couldn't really think of anything. How do you catch someone by surprise when their back is turned for a moment? It must be something that caused the leg cut, too. What could be used... "I-I'm not so sure. Trying to catch someone off-guard while their back is turned and wounding the back of the leg, maybe something that's small and that can be thrown?" I saw Josephine smile slightly. Why was she smiling?

"Oh, oh! You mean a projectile tool?" I turned to look at Akane, a grin crossing her face. "If it's projectiles, then it could a needle, a dagger, bow and arrow, anything that can be shot! However, if it were me, I would prefer using shotguns or snipe guns." She then sighed. "Too bad that I don't have any of those...they were taken away..."

Himitsu sighed and muttered, "So it means that Maron couldn't have kill Kana if he didn't ambush her in the first place. He had nothing to use..."

"True *cough*, there was nothing I could use." Maron finally assured, then coughing some more. Only a few people brought weapons with them, such as Serene and her sword and Akane with her guns or projectiles. I doubt that Serene's sword can be thrown, and Akane did say that Monokuma took her weapons away. I looked at the others, and as I looked at Junko, he looked like he had something in mind.

"Are you sure?" Junko inquired, catching Maron's attention. "I believed that Monokuma had set weapons disguised as everyday tools around the school. I mean, he did give us those sets for the girls and boys in the dorms, correct?"

Rika then said, "But none of them seems to match the cut on Kana's leg. Meaning, those items can't be used."

"D-Don't waste anymore of your *cough time. There's no way we can find the real culprit, or prove that I'm the one who killed Kana." Maron managed to say.

I looked over at Junko. He rested his head slightly on the palm of his hand as he said, "Then, what about the Kitchen knives? Aren't they dangerous, small, and can be thrown?" I noticed Maron flinch a bit.

"I-I never got *cough* a knife last night." Maron argued bluntly.

"Tell the truth, Kantle!" Serene demanded, glaring at Maron.

"It's true *cough*, I didn't get a knife last night."

"Actually, he is right." I said quietly, then everyone looked at me.

"Now you're protecting him, Gina?" I heard Rika sneered.

I shook my head. "No, it's just that, Paylor and I were in the Kitchen last night, and we didn't leave until almost 10; Kana's death being after 10 itself, meaning the canteen was locked then. It's impossible to get the knife during that time."

Akane smiled. "Then he got it earlier!"

"C-Can't be." Asura said. "We all had the quick meeting yesterday, r-right? W-Well, after Maron and Liam's feud and they both left, I stayed in the Canteen the entire day until night-time. Around that time-period, I haven't seen Maron until he asked me last night."

"Why would you stay in the canteen for that long, mes amis?" Liam asked. Asura just shrugged.

I then remembered something. I looked at Maron. "Yesterday, after you fought with Liam, you asked him to bring his art supplies to your dorm, correct?" He nodded slightly. "Before doing so, you grabbed a sandwich..."

"Haha, you must love sandwiches a lot, since you made another one today!" Exclaimed Akane.

"Anyway," I continued. "You went to the kitchen to make it, both yesterday and today." I saw Maron sweating slightly. I felt that he was getting nervous. "By that time, you must have gotten the knife, and hid it as you left with Liam.

Everyone looked at me with shock and realization. "T-That's right! You did go to the kitchen that time." Heishi shouted.

Maron clicked his tongue. "Oh really? You *cough* have no proof that I used it the last night."

"Is that so?" I taunted, which was somehow unlike me. I looked over at Akane. "You saw him earlier, right?" She nodded enthusiastically. "You stated that he was making another sandwich for his sick self."

"Right! I saw him reach for the knife to begin." She told me.

"Anything strange about the knife he was going to use?" The others seem to be following my words and Akane's story.

She then looked sullen slightly. "W-Well, as he was holding onto the knife, it was dripping wet. I also notice some pink liquid in the sink. Is it just because he washed it with pink dishwashing liquid?"

"That can't be. You said it looked like he was just reaching for it, or..."

"Returning it." Josephine finished. "The pink dishwashing liquid must be blood unwashed."

I nodded at her answer, then a small, crooked smile crossed my face as I looked at Maron. "You looked strange..." Himitsu muttered quietly.

"W-What do you mean returning it? *cough* I told you, I *never killed Kana!" Maron retorted.

"Then let me summarize everything up to this point." I countered immediately, which somehow surprised the others. They must have not been used to hearing me speak a lot. "We deducted the number of culprits to five, which means the people who know what Kana's been doing last night. Kana was killed in the gym after ten, after Night-Time started, meaning, no water and the canteen was locked. The killer, having gotten the surprise weapon earlier without anyone seeing him, decided to kill off the Rebel by surprising her. With projectile in hand, once Kana's back was turned, he threw the weapon and injured her leg, making her stagger onto the ground and accidentally dropping her only way of self-defense. That would also explain why Kana's corpse was facing the floor." I added. "He then immediately grabbed the sword and finished her off, probably with a paper on the hilt to avoid getting dirty. Seeing that her hands were covered in gold paint, he thought that he can try to make a fake dying message to make someone else take the blame. With that in mind, he grabbed a paintbrush and more gold paint from the things he borrowed from Liam, due to their bet, and used that to create the message. He was clumsy and reckless, spilling some paint and not knowing that Kana couldn't write Liam's name in English, which the killer did. After making the scene, he grabbed the knife, hid it, and used the paper he used earlier to catch drops of paint as he reached the Laundry room. He then cleaned the paintbrush with Liam's dirty clothes that he was suppose to wash, which was fortunate for him so that the two scenes may connect. He then burned the paper in the trash can, but must have stayed too long that caused him to get sick. He also managed to break the paintbrush somehow, too. The next day, as most of us were at the scene of the crime, he went to canteen and wash the blood of the knife. As he was returning it, Akane saw him and misunderstood his actions. He thought that no one would figure it out, and so, he made it looked like that Kana's death was Liam's "Improvised Masterpiece"."

"Unfortunately for him, all he did to redirect us from the truth was futile." I looked over at almost broken-down Maron. I took a deep breathe as he looked at him in the eye. "Too bad for you, Maron Kantle. We figured it out."

"T-Tch..." Maron clicked his tongue as he clenched his fists. "I won't accept this!"

I sighed as I saw Paylor smiling at me. "Good work." He mouthed.

"H-How could you?!" Rika questioned, glaring at Maron. He just grunted, holding onto the handrails.

"No, I won't fold until are the cards have been shown!" He shouted.

"It's too late." Josephine muttered, crimson orbs staring down on Maron. "You may have four straight-A's, but it seems Gina has the Royal Flush. Game Over."

Maron looked at all us of with eyes filled with anger and shock. "N-Not possible...m-my luck...is unstoppable..." He muttered.

"That's what's wrong with luck." Junko began. "It may help you win, but it can never decided one's fate. You made yourself lose, Maron." And with that, Maron had a total breakdown as he began tearing up.

"EH?! You're all done? Alright, it's time to cast your ballots!" Monokuma shouted with delight. "Will you be wrong, or will you be right?"

After votes were in, it came to the results. In the end, it went towards...Maron Kantle.

"Ding Ding Ding! Correct! Maron Kantle was the one who killed Toraburu, Kana!" Monokuma announced as we all turned our attention at him.

"Why did you do it?!" Heishi questioned as he went straight over to Maron and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Calm down, Furubasa!" Serene shouted.

Isaiah looked at Maron. Seeing that he has lost total control of himself, he talked for him. "Sir Kantle began gambling when he was younger. You may think it's a bad thing, but he's doing so to help his family."

"Huh?" Rika looked at Isaiah. "Why?"

"You see, his family was poor, and the jobs his parents have were not sufficient. Maron thought that he could help them by gambling. Who started out poor and all-rags became a gambling legend, said to have luck that's unbeatable. Maron was the one who found his older brother a job, and was the one who sends money to his parents." All of us listened, and some began feeling guilty.

"...I moved to Las Vegas to earn more...*cough*" Maron muttered as Heishi released him. "Then this school invited me. Knowing that many prestigious and rich people were going, I enrolled here and thought that I will have a few gambling games with them." He covered his eyes with his hands as he managed to say, "Seems that I pushed my luck to far..." Everyone was silent as they looked at Maron. "I wanted to go outside to see my family again, but it seems that..."

"Blah blah blah, boring! Let's move on to the good stuff!" Monokuma cheered.

"W-Wait!" Mei shouted.

"Too late! It's now time for Maron Kantle to be judged. Ladies and gentlemen, t's time for **Punishment Time**!"

"Don't do this, Monokuma!" Akane shouted, as Liam just stared at Maron.

"Mes...amis?" Was Liam's final words to Maron.

**_Unlucky Spin!_**

_We watched Monokuma place Maron in a sealed room full of games found in casinos. He ordered the Gambler to win each and every one of them, which he did. Then, Monoukuma placed a Slots Machine in the room and told Maron that if he wins, he'll be set free. Nervous yet anxious, Maron pulled on the lever to begin the spin. The first slot ended with the Seizon High's logo, the second did the same. As the third slot was slowing down, all three slots spun on high-speed, then all ended in a triple Monokuma. All of a sudden, out of the prize chute, multiple medium-sized, thin, sharped edged coins with Monokuma's face shot right out. It cut up Maron little by little, until three coins shot right through his heart area. We watched in horror as his body fell limp onto the ground._

**Maron Kantle: Dead**

* * *

**Alright, so that's it for the first Trial. Maron and Kana had been great people, but unfortunately, the least liked for now. So, hope you enjoyed that, and that you read the reason on why Maron did so.**

**So...vote for your favorite character (dead or not)!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	8. Announcement

**Thank you for those who review my work, truly appreciate it! Now then, I shall proceed, and some notes will be announced later on.**

* * *

Gina

I lay in the midst of the darkness of my room. It was past Night-Time, but I couldn't fall asleep. The others must have gone to bed by now, seeing as they were exhausted with the previous events. All that happened today was truly a total nightmare. Kana was murdered, and Maron was executed for it. As I tossed and turned in attempt to sleep, my mind keeps returning to the time after the brutal punishment...

* * *

_Everyone was in shock, including me. Maron Kantle, one of our c__lassmates, is dead? He may have killed Kana, but he didn't deserve death, right? He had a reason to do such a terrible deed, and maybe being imprisoned in this school took a toll on him. I looked over at my classmates, and I saw a few of them glaring down on Monokuma. Obviously, they weren't happy with the outcome of the Class Trial._

_"Gyahahaha! What an unlucky predicament, I must say!" Monokuma cheered, twirling on his throne in delight._

_"H-How could you?!" Heishi shouted in rage as he stomped over to Monokuma and attempted to strangle him, only to be stopped by Serene and Liam._

_"Calm down, Furubasa!"_

_"P-Please stop, mes amis..." Liam stuttered. The look on his face depicted horror at what he had seen. The execution of Maron Kantle was very brutal, so I couldn't blame him._

_Monokuma sneered at Heishi. He made taunting motions as he said, "Oh, you want a piece of me?! Come at me, come at me! I'm a grizzly, and I ain't afraid of poaching you then buttering you up for dinner!"_

_Though I was confused at what the bear meant, I looked over at Heishi who gave up on beating up Monokuma as pulled away himself from Serene's and Liam's grip. He placed a hand over his eyes, as though he was trying to keep tears from falling. "F$& you…"_

_I sighed as I then looked over at Josephine who, like before, was silent. She only seems to talk during Class Trials. I then noticed Akane walking towards me. I wanted to turn away, but she caught up to me already. "Good work today, Gina! Now I know that there's nothing to worry about with the next murder!" She exclaimed happily as she walked away. She was not dampened by what happened!? And next murder? Why would she that there'll be a next murder?_

_"So this is your Death game…" I heard Junko muttered as he approached Monokuma. "Still, it's quite hard to believe that you would go through so much just to set this all up."_

_"Upupupu…" Monokuma hummed. "Well, like I said before, I want to make all your lives here as dramatic and exciting as possible!"_

_"That's no reason to make everything so elaborate..." Junko retorted quietly. "Is there anything you want to tell us before it's too late?"_

_Monokuma break out a cold sweat as he held himself in a protective manner. __"Waaah...s-so what are you saying, dear boy?"_

_"I'm saying that you haven't told us everything."_

_Then, I heard Rika scoff. All of us averted our attention towards her. "You're all idiots, aren't you? If the toy would tell of everything right off the bat,"_

_"I'm not a toy!" Monokuma shouted._

_"All of this would be simplistic, meaning less thrilling." She finished._

_Mei gasped at the statement. "H-How do you find this enjoyable?! This is bizarre!"_

_Rika looked over at her. "No, it's not the killing or the murdering or the imprisonment that I'm fond of, but it's the manipulation and deceit." She answered as she looked over at Monokuma. "It's quite fascinating on how the bear is capable of making one kill another."_

_"...You're right..." Heishi muttered as he glared at Monokuma. "It's your fault that they're dead!"_

_"Upupupupu...what makes you think that?" Monokuma inquired all innocent-like._

_"Don't play around, it's definitely your fault that Kana and Maron are gone!" He retorted, then Paylor walked over and tried to calm him down._

_"Calmez-vous, monsieur Heishi." He muttered. "Whether you like it or not, it was not Monokuma's fault."_

_"E-Eh?! B-But..."_

_"The Inventor is right!" Monokuma shouted. "Even if I wanted to, I haven't forced any incentives on you kids, upupu."_

_"Incentives?" I questioned._

_"Yeah, you know, stuff that makes you or forces you to do something." Monokuma explained. "With that said, Maron was just a killer, no motive. I was actually surprised that he made a move with no prior goal, poor guy..."_

_"H-He has..." I heard Liam muttered as he stayed at one corner. "I-Isaiah said it earlier...h-he wanted to get out and see his family..."_

_"That's true." Isaiah assured._

_"...Gyahahaha!" Monokuma laughed. He then reverted back to normal. "Anyway, the bottom line is that: Maron is just a psychotic, sadistic murderer, killing someone faster than any of you!~"_

_"Shut up, or I'll do it for you!" Heishi screamed._

_Asura looked down as he covered his ears with his hands. "P-Please calm down, Heishi-san."_

_"Upupupu, anyway, that concludes our first Class Trial! I hope to see you again in the courtroom next time." And with that, Monokuma blew us kisses as he disappeared in an instant._

_Just then, Himitsu spoke, for the first time in a while. "S-So it's over now..."_

_Serene looked at all of us worriedly. "...There won't be a next time, right? I mean, as Alpha, I want to make sure that our welfares are assured..."_

_"Huh? This isn't the last?" Liam asked, terrified._

_"Oh come on! I'm sure that no one would stab anyone in the back anymore!" Exclaimed Akane. She looked over at me, grinning slightly with a hint of doubt. "R-Right, Gina?"_

_I looked over at her then sighed. "I'm not sure..."_

* * *

I heaved a deep breathe as I shut my eyes closed. There's nothing to worry about for now. The trial is over, and most of us survived. I just hoped that it continues that way. But...now that I think about it, when did I become sentimental of others? I was always the one to be an outcast from the rest. Plus, Kana was very pugnacious and Maron was really a heartless jerk. Yet, why do I feel like I missed them?

"W-Well, it's not like there gone...they'll come back as ghosts...I think..." I muttered as I somehow laughed a bit. Still, it's terrible that they're not here **physically, **but I guess that's the game of life.

Death game for life.

"I hope that we can get the heck out of here." I thought, then finally, the sense of drowsiness fell upon me as I finally went to sleep.

* * *

**"Good morning, meh dear students! It's 7 in the morning, so rise and shine! Let's all strive to do our best today!"**

Monokuma's announcement woke me up abruptly. I groaned slightly as I rubbed my eyes. I then got off my bed, took a shower, then begin getting dressed. As I was doing so...

**Knock. Knock.**

I sighed. Who would visit me at this time? And who would visit me, anyway? I slipped on my black leggings before opening the door. I was not sure if I was surprised or not, but it was Himitsu, the playboy. "Why?" I asked bluntly.

He let out a soft smile as he said, "Is it necessary for people to need something from those who'll they talk to?"

"What?"

"Hehe, nothing..." He said sweetly. I dropped my eyes to the ground as I sighed.

"Alright...so...what?" I asked. He sighed then let out a slight giggle.

"Would you like to follow me?"

"I rather not."

"Aww, don't be so cold, Gina-chan~" He cooed.

"Please leave." I told him as I was closing the door, but unfortunately, he stopped me.

"The second floor is open." He said instantly, a grin crossing his face. Second floor? What was he talking about? Then, I remembered what Monokuma said during the Orientation.

"Open? Now?" He nodded. With that said, I finished my business in my room then left with Himitsu, only out of sheer curiosity.

* * *

Apparently, Himitsu and I were the first to visit the second floor of the school. I looked around with him, who wouldn't stop looking at me. I sighed, then said, "Why?"

He laughed. "You're quite cute..." He complimented, his breathe touching my cheek. Just then, I lashed out my Ghost catching whip-like device at him. I wasn't sure how that got there, but I used it anyway. He was definitely getting too close.

"Too close!" I blurted out, slightly louder than how I usually speak. I clicked my tongue as I returned the device away.

Himitsu, though slightly shocked by what I did, continued his little "staring" hobby. "Ehehe, I see you got some nice stuff there..."

"..." I stayed silent as we visited the Swimming Pool with a Boys' and Girls' dressing room/workout area, the Library, then more classrooms. I'm not fond of swimming, or in any athletic activities. Just as we were about to enter the Library, Paylor came out, along with a small robot-like thing on the ground, walking side-by-side with him. The Frenchman had a grin on his face.

"This place is outstanding, isn't it? The library has a lot of informative books that I couldn't definitely use for my work." He exclaimed. The robot, though it didn't move so smoothly, gave a thumbs-up.

"That is?" I asked.

He looked down at it. "Hehe, an invention that I'm working on. It's suppose to aid students by giving out advice, both for emotional and educational problems."

"So it's for those who have terrible problems?" Himitsu teased, who received a sigh from the Inventor.

"Yes, something like that." He answered. As he was about to pick up the robot, it began twitching violently. Sparks started coming out as eyes turned white then looking over at Paylor. It went silent for a while, then, it shouted out,

"Want some advice? Get a girlfriend! Hahahaha!" Paylor and I were astounded. What did it just say? I looked over at Paylor, and he only shrugged.

"I-I'm not sure why it's saying things like that. I programmed it to be sensitive and-" His sentence was cut off by Himitsu's muffled laughs.

"Pffft...pffft..." He tried to keep it in, but then lost it. "Hahaha, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it!" He exclaimed. He then began toying with his metallic-silver watch with a digital screen, then all of a sudden, the robot shut down.

I was confused. I looked over at Himitsu as Paylor went over to retrieve his creation. "What did you do?" I asked.

He smiled at me, almost like a smirk. "You already know me, right? I'm the Ultimate Hacker. Anything with a core or chip can be hacked into, thus, placing them in my control." He stated.

"Wait, that watch..." Paylor muttered. "Where did you get that?"

Himitsu's face went serious slightly. "Um, just got it from an exclusive place that I shouldn't divulge." He said in a monotone, smirking a bit.

"Come on, I'm not kidding, Monsieur." Paylor said as he tried to get a better look at it.

I just peered over at them and whatever they were doing. "So?"

"I'm not mistaken." Paylor muttered. He looked up at Himitsu. "This was created by the Rosenbaum family in Paris, France. Look, the metallic material used is definitely Molybdenite, and how the minuscule scandium bolts were schematized in the right angles and..." He finally looked up to see both Himitsu and I in a dazed. I only understand what he said up to the metallic material. "Excusez moi..." He said with a light smile. "I-I've lost myself in the sophisticated and vague vocabulary."

"N-No, it's fine!" I said. I looked over at Himitsu, and he was definitely confused. I only heard a small "whaaa..." from him.

"Um...s-should we get to the cafeteria?" Paylor suggested quickly. "I haven't eaten yet. I went straight up here when I found it opened. I'm quite famished now."

"S-Sure..." I agreed, then tugged on Himitsu who was still muddled slightly by Paylor's words. He, and the rest of us, were all silent as we went down.

* * *

When we entered the canteen, I noticed quickly that there were two people missing. I sighed as I was reminded of them. Paylor and I set Himitsu on a chair. "Where have you been? I went to your dorms, Swzitch and Hagarashi." Serene stated with a tone of assertion and calmness.

"We were checking upstairs." Paylor answered, then the others looked at each other.

"Upstairs, open?" Liam asked. Paylor nodded with an "oui".

Akane then fist-pumped into the air. "Yosh! Right after breakfast, let's go there and check it out!" Heishi, Isaiah and Mei joined in with her enthusiasm, but most of us were still dampened with what happened the day before.

"It's impossible to get a quiet morning with her around..." I heard Rika complain.

"S-She really is h-hyperactive..." Asura muttered quietly.

I sighed as I took my seat. We all began eating, but I felt like the atmosphere was burdened with an aura of sadness and depression. Just as Akane was about to uplift our moods, the speakers turned on. Monokuma's voice then shouted out:

**"Hey guys! I have an announcement to make!"**

* * *

**Okay, now that chapter is done. Okay, I'm not actually going to make any important announcement here, but I just want to say that votes are still welcome!**

**This is an Edit: I will not be able to update in awhile, but don't worry, I won't be gone for long.**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	9. Headmaster's Class Project

**Alright, I'mma back! Now then, for this and next chapter, it'll probably be a lot of character and relationship development. This is now the chance for you guys to know more about the others (and maybe some information on those already gone). Anyway, announcements will be later, for now, go ahead and read!**

* * *

Gina

**"Alright, students, I have an announcement to make today!"**

The speaker was loud as always, as well as the person speaking behind it. I merely sighed as I lazily laid my eyes on the screen in the Cafeteria.

"What is it now, Monsieur Monokuma?" Paylor asked with a curious yet somewhat stressed expression.

"P-Please don't let it be one of those things…" Liam muttered worriedly.

"Things?" Akane questioned, looking over at Liam funnily. "What things?"

"Y-You know, the things that he said to force someone to do something…" He answered.

"Eh?" Akane just stared at him.

"Incentives." Rika stated bluntly. Akane gasped in realization while Liam just nodded.

"Yeah, something like that…"

**"Incentives? Nope, nothing like that. I'm sure that you guys will do something without it!" **Monokuma assured. He's comparing us to Maron, isn't he? Of course, I wasn't too trusting of his words, or was listening to him. **"Come and meet me on the newly opened second floor!" **And with that, the speakers went off.

Mei was the first to speak after that. "W-Well, I think we should get going now."

"Yeah, b-before something strange happens…." Asura said. The two immediately left the table and went ahead. They were followed by Josephine and Paylor.

"Well, time to check out this second floor!" Akane exclaimed as she grabbed Liam's hand and dragged him out.

I was about to leave as well when Rika sighed, stood up, and began walking out, only to be stopped by Serene. "What is it that you require from me?" The entrepreneur inquired.

Serene was slightly taken aback with Rika's formal speech. "U-Um, p-please try to be more cooperative with the others, Jichiryou-san. As I observed from before, you tend to keep others away and focus on important matters all by yourself."

"It is in my nature to set my eyes on the task at hand. It doesn't matter if others help or not, I just want things to be done." And with that, Rika walked out. I looked over at Serene as she had a somewhat frustrated look.

"Why is it so hard to keep unity amongst students? After what happened, we should come together and take down whatever obstacle is in our way." She invoiced. Guessing that that was towards me, I began thinking of a reply. As I opened my mouth to speak, Serene left as well. What?

"Lady Serene is like." Isaiah stated as he walked up to me. "I'm not sure why, but she's very fond of talking to herself…"

Just then, I heard a whisper behind me. "She must be mentally ill…" I looked at Heishi as he had a teasing demeanor. I was surprised with his behavior yesterday, but he seemed to be back to normal now. Isaiah and Heishi left together, so only Junko, Himitsu and I were left. Silence fell over us as Himitsu then left as well without a word, which was peculiar at a certain degree.

"You're not going?" Junko inquired with his usual nonchalant expression. He doesn't seem to be interested in checking whatever Monokuma has in store for us.

"I'm not sure." I answered. "I already checked the rooms upstairs."

He got up and walked out. Before doing so, he looked over at me. "That doesn't mean it stops there." He muttered then left.

I was confused with his words, probably because I didn't listen to him carefully. My mind suddenly got caught up with thoughts of Maron's or Kana's ghost appearing out of nowhere. I took out my plasma scanner and just walked towards my destination.

* * *

Everyone was already in the library when I got there. There were a few who merely converse with each other, while others just read books. Doors then opened behind us and up came Monokuma, wearing a construction helmet. "Hey there, dear students~! It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He questioned with a gaily tone. All we managed to respond were quiet murmurs and slight swearing. "Aw, not in the mood, are we? Well, it's not like you can do anything about it." With that, he gestured us to follow him, so we did. We walked down the corridors and arrived at a classroom. Like all the other rooms, its windows were sealed and cameras were present. The only difference of this one from the other classrooms was that it's very spacious.

"Strange." Was the word that Isaiah used to describe the room.

"What kind of important business do we have with a mere classroom?" Rika questioned sternly.

"Well, since we got some time to get to know each other, while some others don't…" He snickered. "I thought it would be nice for you guys to get focus on something and forget the idea of being trapped in here, upupu!"

"So you think that doing stuff for you will keep our minds off you keeping us detained?! I doubt." Heishi ranted, and turned to walk away.

"Heishi…" I muttered, wondering if I should stop him from leaving. This could be important, or something utterly pointless.

"I concur." Mei agreed. "I-I mean, after what happened until now, I don't think we can forget such things so easily."

"Are we done here? I wanna show Liam a documentary on Greece." Akane said with a grin on her face.

"Just let us out, Monsier Monokuma." Liam said, slouching forward slightly as though exhausted.

Monokuma thought about it, but then answered, "No, don't feel like it now…but, maybe when you're all dead, bwahaha!" He then turned his back towards us then walked around the big room, taking a look around. "Now then, I, the Headmaster of Seizon High, have a task for you students that need to be accomplished, upupu."

Heishi stopped and looked over at the bear. "Whatever it is, I'm not participating in it."

"You have to." Said Monokuma.

"What are we going to do?" Serene inquired.

"Something strange, probably." Rika guessed.

"Ahh…handling students like you is a tough job, upupu…" He complained, "But, as Headmaster, I shall continue my best to make sure that you guys are as happy and content…"

We all sighed, while I just thought of the bear being sarcastic and ironic. "Mensonges…" Liam muttered, which I didn't know what it meant.

Paylor then asked, "So, what needs to be done?" He had a peculiar, light tone as he spoke, which bewildered some of us, excluding me.

Monokuma, who was pretending to be daydreaming, snapped out of his reverie and answered, "R-Right, well, to make this brief, I want you guys to redecorate this place."

HUH?

"Redecorate?" Junko questioned.

"Yep, from top to bottom!" Monokuma cheered, twirling around. "I want this room to be special, so I'm turning to you students to change it and make it better. Don't worry if it's not fit for studying or doing projects or anything, as long as it is fun and much better than any classroom in the entire school!"

We all looked at each other in confusion. "So, w-we can design it however we want?" Asura asked.

Monokuma nodded. "Uh-huh. It's up to you students. All I want to do is watch you work this out and transform this room into a masterpiece!"

"I-I guess we can do that…" Mei muttered, looking over at Heishi, who was still reluctant to participate.

"You guys go ahead with the project. I-I'm not good with this kind of task." He said with a forced, light-hearted tone. He left, but was followed by Serene, who wanted to convince him to join. As for the rest of us, we decided to play along and do the project.

"Good, good! Alright, now, we have to decide the Project Manager. I can't just let you guys do things willy-nilly."

"Pfft, willy-nilly, who says those kinds of things at this era?" Akane joked, laughing quietly, then immediately stopping.

"I'll do it." Rika spoke out, approaching Monokuma and taking a compilation of paper that he handed to her. "So these are the requirements and regulations?"

"Yep."

"When is the deadline of this project?"

"Until the next death."

WHAT?!

Rika then inquired again, "Any preference?"

"Nah, I'll let you guys add in your own tastes~"

As I watched the two discuss it out, I begin to wonder why Rika took the position and was so enthusiastic about it. Just then, Isaiah approached me. "She is the Ultimate Entrepreneur, so it's no doubt that she'll take the responsibility of this project and will try to acquire any necessary information or detail."

"Um…"

He laughed slightly. "Just by your expression, I can somehow guess what you're pondering." He answered. This is starting to make me feel strange.

"Alright!" Rika shouted, grabbing our attention. "I've been deemed Manager of this project, so all of you have to follow whatever instructions have been given to us, and heed my advice."

I looked over at Monokuma as he was walking out. "So, you're just going to leave?" I asked.

He glanced over at me and nodded. "Yup, nothing else for me to do here so might as well be the bird's eyes again." He answered, which I didn't quite listen properly. "Oh yeah, students!" He shouted as all of us looked at him. "Make sure you finish the project with good quality and stuff **AND **before the deadline. If not," He looked over at Rika. "The Manager will get in trouble." With that said, he left. I was wondering about his parting words, and about the task at hand.

* * *

An hour passed since Monokuma left, and ever since then, we talk amongst ourselves about what would become of the classroom. To be honest, I was in no particularly mood to partake in this project. However, I felt like I should at least help a little, so I don't bother myself later on during important situations, such as finding the occult secrets of this place. During the time period, we were able to discuss what each of us wanted to include in the remodeling of the classroom, except for Heishi and Serene, since they left earlier. As of this moment, some people were really trying to press their ideas towards Rika, who will be the one to approve or reject anyone's idea.

"I wanna add a huge screen where we can watch movies!" Akane suggested enthusiastically.

"Is it possible for me to have a corner of this room?" Liam inquired persistently. "I want to display 'mes oeuvres' for everyone to see!"

"H-How about a resting area?" Asura muttered above a whisper.

"Or a Hacker's Paradise?" Himitsu cooed sweetly, hugging Rika from behind. Strange, he's active again after a long time of silence coming from him.

I looked at Rika, but was a bit surprised to see her slightly agitated. "Um…"

"Can all of you pipe down?!" The Entrepreneur shouted. She held her head in her hands as she took a deep breathe. "Now then…" She looked sharply over at Akane. "If you want a big one, we'll have to pick out a screen that's around 130 inches or more." She stated as she scanned over the Monokuma Catalogue, which is where we'll be getting items such as tables, decors, and miscellaneous items.

"Is that big enough to make watching a movie enjoyable?"

"Yes it is." She answered, then looking over at Liam. "So you want an art gallery? Fine, but we need to make sure that it won't take up as much space for the other items. Also, make sure that what you're going to display is on canvases, not a mural on the wall." Liam nodded, then leaving, as though to start getting his works ready. She then looked at Asura. "I'm sure the resting area has already been decided. It's what most students want to include in their dream room at this generation."

"I-Is that so?" He stuttered. Rika nodded. "I-I see. Um, I think I'll go now…" And with that, the timid boy left the room.

After that, Rika kicked Himitsu to make him let go, and did it again to make a space between them. "As for your idea, I cannot allow."

"Why not? You approved everyone else…" Himitsu complained, standing up, but flinched slightly as he did.

Rika sighed and answered in a mutter, "I wanted to include your idea, but as stated in the regulations given to us, we are not allowed to put anything that may connect to the outside society. Meaning, we can't have a computer in here with connection to anything. I'm sorry, Himitsu."

"He's keeping our connections cut off…" I muttered. Monokuma must've thought about it, seeing that he has a hacker amongst his students. If he were to allow have computers, cell phones, or anything at all that can aid us, then we can easily get out, or ask for help from the outside with Himitsu's abilities. Moments later, I found Rika deep in conversation with Paylor, and that some others already left. Seeing that the things that Rika had asked for from the Monokuma catalogue will arrive later today, I thought of doing other things, and getting back into finding any dead spirits.

* * *

**Okay, so, first of all, this is my chapter after my absence! This may or may not be good, but, to make it up for you guys, I'll update another chapter soon.**

**Remember, voting is still here, alright? Okay, I think that's all, so...**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	10. Project-in-Progress

**As promised, I've updated a new chapter earlier than usual. So, hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Gina

I've decided to leave the first phase of the project to Rika and Paylor, seeing as though both of them are enthusiastic to start on it. I, on the other hand, thought of helping later when the things we need arrived. In the meantime, I'll just walk around the school, find something paranormal, and then come back to the site of the project. First, I checked the new areas of the second floor, such as the swimming pool. I wasn't much of a swimmer, but checking it out would be nice. As I did, I found Serene and Heishi having a conversation. "Um…"

"So, you don't have DID?" I overhead Serene asking Heishi.

The soldier responded with a confused shook of the head. "No, I don't think so. What is that, by the way?" He asked, and then turned to my direction. "Oh, Gina! Come over here." He said with a small smile.

As told, I walked over to them. "W…What are you guys talking about?"

Heishi sighed. "I'm not really sure. After I left, Serene dragged me here to have this strange chat with her. She thinks I have DID, whatever that is…"

"Dissociative Identity Disorder." Serene began. "It's also known as multiple personality disorder."

"Why would you think that I have that?" Heishi questioned.

She looked down, seemingly depressed. "After Kantle's execution, your personality completely changed."

"Changed? How?" Heishi asked. "I've always been like that."

Serene shook her head. "Not really. That time, you became brutal, aggressive, and…"

"A sailor?" I finished, but both of them just look at me. I just quickly added, "I mean, he swore, didn't he? I-Isn't that what sailors do?" Heishi and Serene looked at each other and let out soft laughs. I sighed.

"Hehe, what a weird way to put that out, Hagarashi." Serene said with a light expression. "But in a good way." She added as she turned to me and smiled. "It's good to see that you're coming out of your shell little by little."

"Hm?" I just looked at them as I have them a slightly crooked smile. "Y-You guys are weird as well…" To that, we all gave out short laughs. Of course, I avoided doing so at times. After that, Serene left to check on the project Rika and Paylor were working on. Meaning, I was left alone with Heishi.

"I don't know about DID…" Heishi began. "But I know that I have no such thing." He looked at me, assuring his words.

"Then why did you become like that before?" I inquired. He just looked away from me and sighed. "…Is it something bad?"

"…Yeah…" He averted his attention back at me and said, "I'm sorry, but could we talk about this some other time?"

I was a bit shocked, but at the same time, knew that Heishi needed some time alone. "…Alright. See you later, then…" With that I left.

* * *

I was deeply confused as I walked down to the first floor. Apparently, Heishi has no DID, and he changed due to a traumatic event? Why would Serene even question about that? Maybe she's concerned, that's all. As I was thinking deeply, I bumped into Akane and Liam, and apparently, they were having either a heated conversation, or a light argument. Akane, surprisingly, had a belt of handguns, while Liam was holding onto some canvases. Thinking what's best, I approached them, even thought they're both are so loud. "What's wrong?"

Both of them looked my way, and eased down the tension. "I-I just wanted to show some amazing shooting to Liam in the gym." Akane began.

"Excusez moi, mademoiselle, but I have to finish my artworks for my art gallery." Liam said. "Besides, I thought you were going to watch a documentary on Greece."

"I was, but all of a sudden, I found my handguns in my dorm-room, so I thought of practice-shooting!" She exclaimed.

"W-Why would you be shooting in the gym?!"

"It's the only open-spaced room I can think of!"

"I thought Monokuma took those guns away…" I muttered.

"Eh?" Akane stopped shouting at Liam as she turned to look at me. "Yeah, I was wondering about that too. Maybe he can't handle that amount of guns…"

"How many do you have madame?" Liam questioned.

"A lot!" She exclaimed happily, then asked, "Hey Liam, when are you going to finish Maron's bet?"

"Huh? You still remember that?" I questioned. Now that I think about, Liam never finished Maron's bet. But, Maron's gone, so it should be null and void, right?

"Of course I remember it!" Akane assured then looked at Liam. "So, you still plan to do it?"

Liam just looked at Akane then stared down on the floor. "Hm…maybe, I'm not so sure, mes amis…"

Silence fell upon us for a while, but of course, it was quickly broken by Akane. "Yo!"

"Yo?" I muttered.

"It's getting too quiet, and you guys stopped talking all of a sudden!" She exclaimed. "Well, I'm gonna leave you two now. I'm going to find someone to watch me practice." She said, then, as hyper as ever, rushed out of here. Loud as she is, she's quite good in keeping the energy in the place high, maybe a bit too high.

"Madame Gina," Liam exclaimed joyfully, looking over at me. "You don't like loud people, right?"

I tilted my head slightly. "I never said anything like that."

"N-No, it's just that, you're a very quiet person. Isn't it that people like that don't like those kind?"

"Some may be like that…" I answered. "But, I don't really mind."

"Why is that Madame?" He asked with a smile and curious smile.

"…Having Akane here is a good thing. She keeps the atmosphere light." I answered as I looked up dreamingly, for some reason. I was deep in thoughts that I didn't even notice Liam waving his hands in front of me.

* * *

An hour passed, and I went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Earlier, I accompanied Liam to the site of the project, since he said that that's the place he'll paint his works for the art corner. Of course, Rika held me back a little to discuss on a few matters, such as where things should go and what I would like to contribute. As said earlier, I'll help out when the ordered items arrives, and that's when Rika let me go. In the cafeteria, I found Isaiah and Josephine. "Lady Hagarashi, what brought you here?" Isaiah greeted with a small smile. Josephine, as always, was silent as she looked at my direction then turned away. She also held onto her umbrella, which I'm still not sure why.

"I'm just going to eat something." I answered bluntly as I went to the kitchen. There, I found Mei preparing tea. "Hi, Mei."

"Gina-san!" Mei exclaimed with her bright smile. I approached the counter and began preparing my own food. The Lolita then initiated a conversation with me. "How's the ghost-hunting so far?" She asked with slight curiosity.

"So far, I wasn't able to detect any plasma or any readings on Maron's or Kana's lingering spirits…" I answered knowledgeably. Mei looked down slightly as I mentioned 'Maron and Kana'. "Sorry…"

"N-No, it's okay." She quickly apologized, waving her hands frantically. "I-I just miss them, that's all."

"But…those two…"

"I know that Kana is a bit wild and Maron is very mean, but they're still our classmates, right?" She stated with a solemn expression. "…It's terrible that they're gone so quickly…"

I wasn't sure on how to uplift Mei's spirits. I'm not like Akane or Liam, who are both capable of cheering others up with their bubbly and carefree personality. I should try changing the subject. "W-Why are you entitled the "Ultimate Internet Idol"?" I asked.

"Eh?" She looked at me, a bit shocked. After a moment, she gave me a small smile. "I-It's not like I did anything amazing. Um, how should I start…let's see, I'm fifteen years-old now, and I started joining online sites when I was seven."

She's the same age as I am? I wonder who's younger, then. "What kind of sites did you join?"

"Hehe, different kinds, like MMORPG sites, Online Publishing Sites, and many more." She said then giggled. "I also post videos of myself online, doing random things."

"Is that so?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's very enjoyable. Before I knew it, I became famous on the Internet, known to have maxed out my own characters in Roleplay or MMORPG sites, have written out several online stories then having it published by different publishing factories, owning videos that acquired over thousands of views, and many more."

"So you did that much?" I asked a bit surprised. "You must have a lot of time and fans."

"Yeah, it was fun, but I prefer a quiet environment from time to time. Still though, it helped me become known in reality."

"Wait, what?" But before I could ask her, she carried a tray of tea and brought it to the others, thus leaving the kitchen. "…What did she mean by that?" I thought about it for awhile as I finished making my own meal. As I did, I went outside to eat it, only to find Asura there, alone. "Where are they?"

"W-Who?"

"Mei, Isaiah and Josephine."

"O-Oh, they left." Asura answered nervously as he looked down at the table. I feel like he was nervous at looking at me, either that or he's scared of something. I then sat down opposite of him and sipped my soup. I then looked at him. He's a quiet guy, as well, but more nerve-wrecked and easily embarrassed than I am. He looked my way, then immediately averted his attention at something else. I merely sighed. He then muttered. "Y-You're not going to help with the Project?"

"Later. How about you?" I asked. He whispered something then shrugged. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm not sure if I could help at all. I mean, I-I'm not that physically fit, like Heishi and Paylor, and I'm not that creative, like Liam…"

"That doesn't mean that you couldn't help." I stated as I took another sip from my soup.

Asura sighed as he laid his head on the table. "I-I could try…but I end up hurting someone in the end…"

"Why?" I asked, now curious.

"I-I'm just clumsy, I guess…I either end up scratching someone or hurting them some other way…" He looked at me, then quickly added, "I-I'm not doing it on purpose, of course!"

"It seems." I said, and then nodded at him to show that I believe his words.

He let out a relieved smile and exclaimed, "T-Thank you, Gina-san."

"Don't mention it." I replied as I finished my soup. Suddenly, a thought came to my head. "What's your title?"

"My title?" Asura repeated. I nodded then he looked down. "I-I'm not sure…I think I remember it, but…" He paused as silence took over.

I looked at him attentively, and then I said, "You don't want to talk about it?"

"I-I'm just not sure of it…" He answered. "E-Excuse me…" He muttered then quickly left. I wonder what was going on with him. As I finished my soup and had it washed, I went and checked on the project.

* * *

A day passed, and fortunately, I was able to sleep through the night with ease. Maybe letting myself get tired immensely before sleeping made me sleep faster and deeper. That morning, as I was washing up, I quickly remembered what I helped out with yesterday.

* * *

_After three hours of waiting, the things that Rika ordered from the Monokuma Catalogue arrived, and most of us students were called to help out. Of course, from what I got yesterday, Asura didn't participate, and so did Heishi. "Are you sure it's fine to leave those two?"_

Rika sighed as she looked at me while directing the others. "Let them. It's their decision." She said. She looked around, then shouted, "Akane, don't shoot the wall!"

_I turned to look at Akane, and from what I can see, she's shooting the wall with one of her handguns. Apparently, she was helping Isaiah out with hanging picture frames and other wall decors. "I'm not shooting the wall, I'm shooting the nails!" She exclaimed, then continued on with her shooting._

_"Shooting the nails?" I questioned._

_"Don't worry," Akane assured, smiling. "I'm using a Ruger Mark II and my keen eyes, so hitting small objects won't be a problem!"_

_"You know I'm not a gun expert, Akane." Rika said as she then ordered me to move some decorations and a coffee table. Luckily, it wasn't so difficult, compared to the others' tasks. For example, Paylor is in charge of moving heavy materials and interior construction, where he has to make frames for small rooms inside the big classroom. Liam is in charge of choosing the floorings and painting the walls himself, of course, with help from the others. There are also other difficult tasks._

* * *

As I exited my room, I found Himitsu loitering in front of the canteen, where inside we hold our daily meetings. He looked at my direction then smiled. "Good morning, Gina-chan~" He exclaimed happily. "How was your sleep yesterday?"

"It was fine." I answered, but then I realized that he wasn't present as well yesterday. He was probably slacking off, like the playboy he is. "Aren't you going in?" I asked.

"In a while." He said, then gestured me to enter. "After you, malady." He cooed with a grin. I just shrugged slightly as I entered.

Inside, the others were present. Serene waved at me as I approached the table. "Good morning, Hagarashi!" I waved back as I took my seat. I then saw Rika standing up, but peculiarly, had a small smile on.

"First of all, thank you for those who cooperated with yesterday's Project." She announced. "The first day of the Project went well, and if we continue to work hard today, it may be finished in no time!" And with that, we all cheered and clapped joyfully. I observed quietly, but I was glad that there were some moments where we can simply come together and enjoy each other's presence. I looked around, but then noticed that someone's missing.

I leaned forwards slightly to Paylor, who was right beside me. "Have you seen Junko?" I asked quietly amongst the loud cheers.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, mademoiselle. I haven't seen him since Monokuma's announcement…" He answered, looking slightly worried.

I sighed as I leaned against my chair. What if something bad happened to him? Wait, what if…no, it can't. It can't possibly happen. I then quickly stand up. "Ju-"

**"Oi, when are you guys going to do something?!"**

Monokuma shouted loudly through the speakers and complained violently in the screened. I immediately sat right back down, hoping that no one heard me. "W-What do you mean?" I'd asked.

**"What do I mean?! What are you, an idiot?! I'm talking about when you guys are going to murder someone!"**

All of us just looked at each other as Josephine continued to keep her eyes on the bear. "No one is going to kill anyone, Monokuma!" Heishi shouted.

"T-That's right!" Mei shouted, backing up Heishi.

"Don't compare us to Sir Maron, Sir Monokuma." Isaiah stated, and others nodded in agreement.

**"What?! Can you just kill anyway?"**

He tried pleading, but we already knew how to answer him. "We won't do it…" Serene invoiced.

"Besides…" Rika began. "Why are you pushing the Project's deadline? It seems strange…" Monokuma was a bit taken aback as he then faked a cough.

**"E-Ehe, fine then…you guys are no fun at all…."**

And with that, the speakers and screen went off. I heaved a sigh of relief. From how Monokuma was so impatient for the next murder, it means that Junko isn't dead. If that's the case, where is he?

* * *

**Alright, hope you like it! Good thing no killed anyone today, huh? Anyway, next chapter is coming up on the usual update-day!**

**By the way, where did Junko went off to? Hope nothing happened to him, upupu~**

**Remember to vote if you haven't voted yet!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	11. Behind the Closed Door

**I'm now going back to the usual once-a-week-update! Well, with that out of the way, let's move on with the story!**

* * *

Gina

Breakfast was over and we remaining students dispersed from the cafeteria to do our own thing. I assumed that Rika and Paylor will be heading back to that big classroom to continue on the project, along with a few others. With that said, there's no need for me to help in the meantime. Instead, I did a quick search around the school, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of Junko. Missing from yesterday until now, where has he gone to? Just as I was entering the library, I bumped into none other than the playboy himself. "G-Gina-chan?!"

"Himitsu?" I looked at him as I stood up and dusted my skirt slightly. I remembered seeing him outside the cafeteria earlier, but never entered. "You didn't…"

Suddenly, he pulled me close to him, making our faces centimeters away from each other. He gave me one of those scary yet seductive smiles of his. "My, you're in such a hurry." He whispered. "Are you meeting up with someone?"

I tried to push him away, but he had a firm grip on my arm. "L-Let me go, you pervert…"

"Aw…why?" He asked sweetly, closing in. "I'm not hurting you or anything…" I then immediately kicked him out of instincts then ran away. I looked back quickly, and saw that he was going the other way. It seems like he won't be chasing me. Still, why did he do that?!

* * *

("P-Pervert! I knew he was trouble…") I thought frantically in my mind as I rushed to AV Room for some reason. He wasn't following me, so knowing that, I felt safe, for now. I sighed and slid against the door, collapsing on the floor. I'm not really much of a runner, or an athletic person. Doing all this running made me tired, and I've became terribly exhausted.

"Are you okay, Madame Gina?!" Liam asked worriedly as he rushed towards me. "Is something wrong?"

"Hehe, how sweet of you, Liam!" Akane exclaimed, walking towards me as well. She grinned then looked at Liam. "You like her, don't you?" She asked, rolling her tongue.

"I-I was just worried, that's all! She's one of my mes amis, yes?" He then looked at me. "So, what happened, Mademoiselle?" I sighed as I stood up, with support from the wall. I told them what happened, bluntly and truthfully. The result was shocked looks from the Painter and the Sharpshooter.

"H-Hehe, maybe he's just being very friendly!" Liam said, though his tone hinted confusion.

"He finally hit on you?!" Akane shouted, which again, was unnecessary. "Out of all the girls, he picked you? I wonder why…" She questioned with curiosity then smiled as she rushed out the door.

"H-Hey, where are you going?" Liam shouted after her.

"I'm gonna find Himitsu! I want to ask him a few things!" I flinched slightly at his name. He's definitely a pervert to be cautious around.

I looked over at Liam. "What's going on here?"

"We watched the documentary on Greece." Liam answered.

"I thought…"

"Yeah, that I wasn't going to watch it…" He finished, but then burst out exclaiming, "But I'm so glad I watched it!"

I took a step back. "W-Why is that?" Seriously, then energy coming from was intense.

"Sure, it was boring, dull, and very long, and I didn't pay much attention to it, but that's when the Holy Gods are mentioned! Who would have thought that the majestic Gods and Goddesses were part of Greece's history?!" He shouted, enthusiastic.

"W-Wasn't that discussed during History Class?" I inquired.

Liam just laughed embarrassingly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I never listen in class. Words goes in one ear then come out of the other, it seems." He then stood up straight, and with fiery passion evident in his eyes, he exclaimed, "From this inspiration, I shall create a masterpiece from stone to portray the Divine Deities!" And with that, he rushed out of here.

"…So many extroverted people…" I muttered tiredly.

* * *

Hours passed, and I was very tired. "What should I do now?" I asked myself as I walked down the corridors. The entire day, I've been encountering strange events amongst my classmates, and because of that, I have no time to do my investigations. I'd also used most of my energy to avoid certain people, not entirely on purpose.

I came upon Isaiah as well, and then he just joined me from there, with no prior reason. "You don't have plans today?" He asked.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do…" I answered to Isaiah's question. I averted my attention. "B-But it's not like I want to…"

"I see. Well, with your help, I'm sure the work process will be accomplished soon." He stated with confidence.

I just nodded. Just as we were about to enter the designated site, Junko came out of the doors, head down and walking a bit fast. "Junko?" I muttered. He's been missing since yesterday, and this is where he pops out from? "Junko." I called out.

He stopped, and then looked at me for a moment. He looked at me differently. He glared at me sinisterly, for some reason, and he has this aura of negativity around him. He then looked away and muttered, "Sorry…" And he just stormed off again.

"I wonder what's wrong…" Isaiah muttered worriedly.

"…Maybe a ghost haunted him last night and put him in a bad mood?" I guessed with my crooked smile. Isaiah looked at me strangely, but I just laughed it off. Still, it's quite worrying to see that. As I entered the classroom, I saw Rika and Paylor discussing over something.

"…We should try to avoid over-crowding that area, since Liam decided to add statues to his art gallery…" I overhead Rika saying as Paylor just sighed heavily. She turned to look at my direction. "Oh, Gina and Isaiah, what are you guys doing here?"

I didn't want to speak for awhile, so I turned to look at Isaiah. He looked down at me and nodded. "Lady Rika, do you know what happened to Sir Junko?"

"Junko?" Paylor inquired.

"I'm not really sure." Rika answered, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I'm not even sure how he got in here…"

"Pardon?" Isaiah began. "What do you mean by that?"

Paylor scratched his head. "Let's see…after Rika and I had breakfast, we immediately head over here. As we entered, we found Junko there, reading in one of the ordered couches."

"So? Couldn't he just get here earlier than the both of you?" I said.

"Impossible..." Rika stated. She then trailed from there, as thought devastated. She turned to look at me. "A-Anyway, what are you two here for?"

"We're here to help." Isaiah said with a smile.

"Y-Yeah…" I muttered, as we then we both began aiding them. However, my mind wasn't entirely focused on the project at hand. Rika dodged my questioned earlier, and she didn't give me full details, it seems. Also, Junko was acting much differently then before, so I was worried about that. Maybe he had an encounter…

**"E-hem! Students are to report to the Gym at once, just as Headmaster said so!"**

The speakers went on and off in an instant. What's going on? I looked over at the others, and they were also confused. "What's that bear thinking?!" Rika complained.

"Maybe it's some important announcement, Lady Rika." Isaiah invoiced.

Paylor stretched his arms slightly. "But we still have a lot to finish, mes amis. Maybe he's trying to stall us?"

"Let's just go…" I muttered as I left the place first. What's Monokuma planning…

* * *

"Yosh! I'm so glad that you all came by!~" Monokuma exclaimed with glee, twirling on the stage. We thirteen students just watched the bear goof around as it continued. "Now then, you must all be wondering why I called you all here, upupu…"

"Yes, and would you please hurry it up." Rika said. "We're wasting time here."

"Don't worry, Project Manager, I'll make this brief then." He said then faked a cough. "I'll be giving you guys a choice."

"Choice?" I questioned.

"Yep, you'll just have to decide from two: Kill someone in the next twenty-four hours, or all of you will die!"

EH?!

"W-Wait, what is this all about?!" Asura asked.

"You deaf?" Monokuma teased. He hopped off the stage and just walked around. "I gave you students a choice to make. One of them is to kill someone in the next 24 hours, and everyone here will continue on living. The other one was is to let the allotted time fly by and have everyone be killed!"

"That's absurd!" Akane shouted.

"Your mercilessness knows no end now, does it?" Heishi retorted, clenching his fists.

Monokuma let out a hearty laugh. "Gyahahaha! Now this is what I want to see. All of you, choosing over yours or others' lives! Well, wouldn't want to spoil your moods. See ya in twenty-four hours!" With that, he left the stage, cackling his heart out, if he even has one.

We all looked at each other, suspicious and cautious as we were the first day. "N-No one is planning to, r-right?" Mei inquired, tearing up.

"Y-Yeah, that's right." Liam added. "I mean, we're all mes-amis, buddies and-"

"Don't be so naïve!" Rika shouted. "What do you plan to do? Wait for death?" We all went silent. Rika folded her arms across her chest. "That's what I thought…"

"Tsk…" I clicked my tongue tediously as I looked away from the others. What are we going to do? If we don't kill someone, all of us will. But, I don't want to face another corpse anytime soon.

Just then, a loud clap grabbed our attention. Junko looked at us with nonchalant eyes, as though this never bothered him, or he doesn't care at all. "You all shouldn't be easily corrupted…don't be swayed so easily…" He muttered with a hint of assertiveness. None of us could speak, nor could come to make eye contact with Junko's glare. He's acting very differently than usual, and I don't feel comfortable with that.

"There's no need to be so tense, Monsieur Junko." Paylor said lightly.

"Why are you not taking this seriously?" Himitsu asked, looking at the Inventor. "Aren't you scared?"

Paylor merely smiled. "Of course, but it shouldn't result to such negativity…" He stated as he looked over at Junko. "It's the cycle of life, anyway…"

"You do know that this is the death-game for life, Sir Paylor." Isaiah reminded. "Are you sure you don't want to be cautious?"

"I don't mind." Paylor assured. He then proceeded in walking out. As he was, he patted Junko on the head as he left. After minutes of silence, Junko left as well, muttering something that I couldn't pick up.

"Neh," Akane began. "So we're just going to wait? We're not going to do anything?"

"I-I'm sure that no one will kill someone!" Liam exclaimed, laughing out positively.

I then point out, "If no one will, we're all dead…we'll become ghosts…" They all looked at me, but I didn't mind them. I looked down, trying to get the distractions out of my mind. Just as silence was falling over us again, from out of nowhere, I sword passed by me, just centimeters away from my cheek.

"Tsk." A familiar voice said behind me. Himitsu pulled me away from whoever tried to attack me, and I was surprise who it was.

"Lady Cristalli!" Isaiah called out, rushing towards her, only to be stopped by her pointing her katana at him, just inches away from his chest.

"Shut up, I won't let death come to me first!" She stated. Her dark-blue eyes stared down on us as she caressed a strand of her hair. "My hair has gone slightly darker…" She muttered, I just paced my breath, not expecting her to pull of the first attempt. "I-I'm leaving…" She left the gym, but never sheathed her katana, as though ready to pull off another attack.

* * *

"A-Are you sure that you're going to be fine?" Mei asked me, handing me a cup of tea. We were in the cafeteria, around 4 pm in the afternoon.

"I'll be fine. I was just…shocked…" I answered, taking a sip from the fine china.

Mei rested on a chair beside me. "I-I didn't think that Serene-sama was like that…"

"Me neither." Just then, Junko and Serene entered. Mei quickly hid behind me as they approached us. I looked over at Serene. "Um…Junko…"

"I'm sorry for acting like that." Serene began, bowing in front of me. "I-I just couldn't help it…I-I was just scared of dying…"

I looked over at Junko. "She told me what happened earlier. She really is sorry." Actually, I was wondering about his attitude earlier.

"Don't worry. I will not allow the others to be killed…" The Alpha assured, giving me a smile. She also patted the sheath of her katana. To my relief, her sword is sheathed.

"So I'm guessing that Serene will make sure that no one kills anyone." Junko said.

"Yeah, seems like it…" I added.

"Well, we better get going." Junko said to Serene, and she nodded. She waved goodbye at me as they both left. Still though, I feel like they have a hidden agenda…

"Those two must be going out." Akane stated suddenly behind us, shocking Mei and me. She smirked, adding, "But I'm sure you and Himitsu are going steady as well, right?" She asked me enthusiastically.

"W-We're not going out!"

* * *

It was 8 am, and all of us have met up in the cafeteria. I, particularly, did not sleep well last night. I was still quite traumatized with what happened yesterday, but I'm glad that Serene assured that none of us will kill each other. "With how we're progressing, we should be able to finish Monokuma's project today or tomorrow." Rika announced.

"I can't wait to present my representation of Aphrodite!" Liam exclaimed happily.

"I'm just anxious to see the wide-screen!" Akane said joyfully.

Paylor just gave out a small laugh. "Yes, you'll all be able to enjoy the new Classroom." He then looked at Rika, and they both nodded. The two excuse themselves, probably going to the Site of the Project.

"Well, to be honest, I'm pretty much excited to see what happened to that dull classroom." Heishi stated as he leaned against his chair.

"Heh, you didn't even help out, mes amis." Liam teased as he began sketching something. Heishi just laughed.

I looked around, and then I saw Mei's worried look. "Is something wrong?"

She looked at me with a shocked expression. "U-Uh…well, I feel like we're missing a few people…"

"Like who, Lady Shizukana?" Isaiah asked, taking a bite out of his Panini.

"Um…" She sighed, looking down on the table. "Himitsu-san, for example."

"T-That pervert is always slacking off…" I stuttered.

"Then there's Josephine-san and Serene-sama…"

Isaiah then said, "Lady Josephine took a stroll around, and I'm sure Lady Cristalli is patrolling, like always."

I looked around again then added, "Junko's not here, either." Well, whether he changed or not, he seems to be taking time for himself around this time. Anyway, I feel like we're missing another one. "There's also Asura." I wonder where he could be.

"Well," Heishi stood up. "Maybe it's time for me to help out with the project." Mei smiled with glee as she stood up as well. He then turned to look at us. "Anyone else coming?"

In the end, all of us in the canteen left for the project's site. As we were closing in, we saw Rika and Paylor just about to unlock the door. The Project Manager looked at us. "My, why are you all here already?"

"We want to help!" Akane exclaimed, fist-pumping into the air.

Paylor smiled as he began conversing with Isaiah. Rika then nodded as she then unlocked the door. When she opened it, she screamed. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

**"Three students have found the body. The investigation will now commence!"**

Wait, what? What was that announcement about?! We immediately rushed in as well, and we were shocked at what we saw. Paylor stepped in and called out to someone. "Junko!"

The boy turned to look at us, again, with his nonchalant eyes. He laid between us and the corpse that laid there in its sorry state. Impaled through the heart by her own sword, Serene laid there, cold and lifeless.

**SERENE CRISTALLI: DEAD**

* * *

**Oh Serene, you will be dearly missed…I'm sorry that it came to this…**

**Let's see if you guys can figure out who kill Serene (and here we go again, coming up with details XD)**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW**


	12. Second Class Trial

**Okay, so this is going to be a very doubtful class trial, maybe, I'm not really sure…**

**This is my first time doing this, but I will reply to those active reviewers of this fic!**

** -That1guyeveryonehates – first of all, thank you being an active and loyal reader/reviewer to this fic! Liam is doing pretty well so far! He's a lucky guy. And yeah, I also like Serene, but alas, the votes are not in her favor. Likane? Hehe, well, Akane and Liam do seem to compliment each others optimism and energetic personality.**

** -ChitoseYume – thank you for being a new reader/reviewer! So you'll send an OC if I do a sequel? XD Hehe, anyway, Junko may be the one who killed her, but of course, it depends on what the students find.**

** -A Random Reviewer (Visitor) – Yep, Himitsu is making his move now! And, I may like shipping others. 'Likane' is one of them, hehe. What ship name would you guys give to your own shipped couples? I'm curious.**

**Alright, let's move on!**

* * *

Gina

Just after Rika entered, the speakers went on, and that high-pitched voice announced:

**"Three students have discovered the body! I will now let you begin the investigation."**

After what we heard, we all went in the classroom, and to our disbelief, Serene laid there, dead. Who would've thought that Serene Cristalli, the school Alpha, would be killed so easily? Mei just couldn't bear the sight and ran away crying, with Heishi chasing after her. Paylor went over to help Junko, who laid between us and Serene's corpse, slightly injured. "Who did this to you?" Paylor questioned Junko, but the boy didn't answer.

Isaiah looked around the room for a minute before walking over to the lifeless corpse. He stared down on it for a moment before turning to look at us. He shook his head. "She's really gone…"

"Hey everyone!" Akane shouted. "Monokuma gave me this!" I went over to her and took what seemed like another Monokuma File. I clicked my tongue as I read it. This time, however, it gave less information than last time. Time of death was unknown, and the only obvious cause of death was the impalement through the heart by Serene's own sword, and that she was found at the Site-of-the-Project.

"I thought for sure that no one would kill each other…" Liam muttered, staring at one of his dead 'mes amis'. At that moment, the others arrived. Josephine merely examined the body and crime scene before walking out. Heishi and Mei returned, but Mei didn't enter the classroom, so Heishi decided to stay with her.

"…Does this mean that no one else will die?" Himitsu asked, averting his attention away from the corpse.

Rika clenched her fist as she nodded. "Yeah…except for the one who murdered her…" She answered. Himitsu sighed then left the place as well. I, on the other hand, decided to investigate the room. I took a quick check on Serene's body, but as always, was cautious to avoid getting attacked by her ghost. As stated in the Monokuma File, it was obvious that Serene was killed by her sword, and it doesn't seem like she had any other injury, so maybe she didn't go into a struggle, which was strange.

"…Thank you…" I heard Junko saying to Paylor as the Inventor helped him out.

"How did this happen to you?" Paylor inquired. Junko stood up and stretched his arms for a moment. Without answering Paylor, he left. "W-Where are you going?!"

"Let him leave." I heard Rika muttered assertively. "He killed Serene…"

"What?"

"Rika, we're not sure-" Paylor began, who was then cut off by Rika

"He was the only one in this room!" She retorted. "Who else could it be?!" She sighed then just stomped out. Paylor followed her. I stayed and just continued my investigation. I looked around the room, and then I heard Liam shouting out something.

"Ce ne sont pas il est supposé être ici !" He shouted, looking around frantically.

I walked over to him. "I didn't understand what you just said, but still, what's wrong?"

"Some of the furniture is out of place!" He said, trying to put back a wooden desk back to its place.

I looked around the room then noticed something. "Wait, stop." I said as I pulled Liam by the collar.

"What is it, mademoiselle? I have to restore the balance of the decors!" He exclaimed.

"Just…wait…" I muttered as I released him. I looked around the room and noticed the positions of the moved furniture. I noticed that all had a somewhat flat surface on top, and that they varied in height. They were also juxtaposed to form some sort of spiral stairs.

"I see that you noticed it, as well." Isaiah began, approaching me. "The tallest furniture moved to finish it stands approximately around 7-feet."

"So?"

Isaiah looked at me, smiling slightly. "Someone must've done this to get to higher ground."

"Higher ground? There's no second floor, or anything high that someone wants to get to with the stairs-like furniture." Liam said, looking up to make sure.

"How about something dangling from up high?" Akane suggested with a smirk.

"Like?" I questioned.

Akane just shrugged. "Rika's the one you should ask. All I know that she ordered items that dangles from the ceiling. I just helped out with hanging some frames and other items."

I sighed. "Fine, I'll ask her later…"

"Lady Gina," Isaiah called out. "Come here."

He wanted me to approached him and Serene's corpse. I said, "Are you sure you want to move her body a lot?"

"No, I just want to show you something." He assured. I came near, and then he pointed towards her neck. "You see that?"

"What?" I asked. He gestured to me to look closer, so I did. I then noticed some strange marking around her neck. "Something was pressed onto her neck?"

Isaiah nodded. "However, the item used to do that is missing. I'm planning on finding it."

"How does that have any connection with this?"

"You'll see." He said with a smile. I just looked at him curiously then nodded. At the meantime, I should go check on Junko. I excused myself and went off to find him.

* * *

I happen to come across Junko in the cafeteria. Mei was there, tending to whatever wounds he acquired. They were also accompanied by Heishi and Akane. "Wait, how did Akane get here so fast?" I asked myself quietly, approaching the group. "How is he?"

"He's find, just a few bruises, that's all." Heishi answered.

"Getting better now, Junko-san?" Mei asked. He nodded and felt his bruised elbow. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Thank you, Mei…" He muttered. He looked at me for a second before averting his attention to something else. He stood up. "I better go now…"

"While you're all bruised up? You should rest." Akane said with a worried expression on her face. "I mean, didn't you have a fight with Serene's killer or anything?" Junko just sighed, but then Akane immediately added, "Or did you struggled with killing Serene?!" He didn't answer. "Oh come on, at least say something!"

"Junko would never kill Serene!" Heishi said, defending the boy. "Right, pal?" He asked with a slight smile.

"…We aren't certain yet…" I began. "Junko was in the room where Serene was killed, so it's a possibility that he may have killed her."

"G-Gina-chan!" Mei exclaimed, surprised.

Junko then stands up and begins to leave. "O-Oi! Junko!" Heishi called out to him.

He stopped just as he was about to leave. He batted an eye at me. "Did you check the room thoroughly? You might find something useful for the investigation." With that said, he left, and he didn't bother to look back when Mei and Akane were calling out to him.

"Just leave him be." I told them.

"Why should we? He may know who killed Serene!" Heishi retorted.

I looked at him. "If he does know, he would tell everyone immediately to avoid trouble during the Class Trial, and to avoid choosing the wrong murderer, or have someone blame him for Serene's death."

"Your point?" Akane asked.

"He's hiding something…" I said. "In the meantime, we should check the room again to-" All of a sudden…

**"Hey, are you guys done? I'm getting EXTREMELY bored down here! Well, not that I need your approval, upupu. Anyway, all students are now to report to the Courtroom! You know where it is, behind the red door. See ya later!"**

"He's kidding, right?" Heishi questioned, balling his hands by his sides.

"N-Not again!" Mei whimpered, tearing up again.

"Hey, don't start crying again!" Akane said, smirking. "Whatever's going to happen, I'm sure Gina and the others will get to the bottom of this!" She exclaimed as she then rushed out of the cafeteria.

I merely sighed. I felt like we could've used more time to at least take another look around the crime scene, just as Junko said. I just hope that someone may have noticed something we haven't yet. "Let's go." We all walked towards the red door. There, we met up with the others.

As we all gathered into the elevator and began its descent, Rika said, "You should know by now what'll happen, Emire, Junko." She glared at the boy, who merely responded with a heavy sigh.

The elevator then came to a stop. As we got out, the interior of the courtroom changed. "You sure do like changing things up a lot." Akane commented, looking around.

"You like it?" Monokuma asked, popping up right in front of us. "It should put you all in a good mood, upupu!"

"Uh, should we?" Liam asked, a bit dumb-founded.

"Eh, forget about it. All of you get ready…for the Second Class Trial!" Monokuma exclaimed, sinking into the ground then popping out of his throne. We all took our designated stalls. And, taking place in Maron's and Serene's, were portraits of them crossed out with a bloody X.

"Now that's just sad…" I heard Himitsu mutter as he looked from Serene's portrait to Maron's and Kana's. "Three of our classmates are already gone…"

Asura just whimpered slightly. "S-Serene-san…"

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road!" Monokuma shouted with glee. One of us has killed our classmate, and they must secure their freedom, or else its execution. A trial for life, a judgment of death. Deception in life, and treachery in death. Betrayal for life, and betrayal for death. The riddles of life, and the mystery of death. Justification for life, and realization in death. Faith in life, and trust in death. The Class Trial to live, or the Class Trial to die.

**Class Trial is in Session!**

"Okay, so where should we start?" Heishi asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There's no need to waste anymore time." Rika began. "Isn't obvious that Junko killed Serene?"

I looked at her. "Why makes you say that?"

She then glared at me. "You saw it also. Actually, even some others saw Junko was there in the room, with Serene's dead body. There was no one else in that room."

"Do you have evidence to prove that?" Josephine questioned, again, after a long time, spoke. Rika clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Then we cannot be certain that Junko killed her."

"Let's go over the clues, then." Isaiah stated. He then began reading the Monokuma File. "Not much information was divulged. The only information we can acquire from this was that Serene was found on the Site-of-the-Project and that her sword was the obvious cause of her death."

"The question is: who killed her?" I stated.

"I told you, it's Junko." Rika stated, but Paylor then looked at her, and she sighed. "Fine, let's continue. But first, I just want to disclose the fact that the room was locked last night at 6 until this morning at 8. Nobody could've entered around that time period, and I locked the door at the same time since Day One."

"What if someone went in earlier and killed her when Serene was checking it out?" Akane questioned. "It's possible, right?"

"It's a possibility," Paylor said. "But I made sure to check the place out if anyone was there, and I found no one there when Rika locked the room."

"Maybe someone took and used the key to open it?" Liam asked.

Rika then showed them the room key." Impossible, only I have the key. It never left my person ever since Monokuma gave it to me."

"Then maybe you killed Serene!" Liam exclaimed.

Josephine then muttered bluntly, "Idiot."

"Hey!" Liam retorted.

Heishi then caught the two's attention by shouting at them. "You two, quit it!"

"What's wrong with I said?" Liam questioned, hands on the railings as he looked at Josephine sharply.

Josephine looked away. "Nothing…" Liam sighed, slightly frustrated.

"It couldn't be Rika." Paylor stated. "I was with her the entire time since the start of the project, so there's no way she could've killed Serene."

"Hehe, then maybe you accompanied her." Akane said, smirking. "You two are getting close."

"Y-You're just making this more confusing than it's supposed to be…" Mei muttered.

"Just let me say this:" Monokuma began suddenly. "There was no accomplice at this time, so you could kiss your 'accomplice theories' goodbye!~"

Akane just sighed. "Fine."

"If Rika and Paylor stated that no one stayed behind in the room yesterday, or the days before, then there's no other way on how we could explain how Junko and Serene ended up there." I invoiced. I took a quick glance at Junko, and he turned his eyes away from me.

"Are you guys at a dead-end?" Monokuma questioned, a tequila in hand. "How about you guys just guess? Maybe you'll be lucky, just like that lottery boy, upupu!" He exclaimed.

I then looked over at Monokuma. "Um…Bear…"

"Don't call me Bear!" He shouted angrily, claws out.

"A-Alright, Monokuma…" I immediately replaced. "Is it okay if we go to the Site-of-the-Project?"

"Why should I?" He asked in a monotone.

Isaiah then pitched in. "You won't be disappointed in this Trial afterwards, how does that sound?"

Monokuma thought about it as he scratched the back of his head. After a few moments, he sighed. "Alright, but only for a quick while! I'm not doing this just because I pity you guys, it's just because I want to see something juicy or exciting! Or something that'll put a twist to this case!"

"We get it!" Akane assured, shouting out.

I was a bit in awe. Isaiah wasn't with us when Junko mentioned to check the room once more, yet it seems like he found something important that we missed. "Let's go, mes amis!" Liam exclaimed.

We all then headed towards the scene of the crime. Some others stayed at a considerable distance from the corpse, while others were wondering if we missed something from the dead body. Isaiah then called our attention. "It's not the corpse you should be looking at." He said. Instead, he directed our attention towards the fireplace that Paylor built there.

"Wow, you're pretty good at construction work, mes amis." Liam stated, looking over at Paylor.

The Inventor smiled. "It was Rika's suggestion if the weather gets too cold."

"How could we got cold here, exactly?" Akane questioned.

"Shut your mouth." Rika retorted. "What do you want to show us, Isaiah?"

The man then called over Heishi, and asked him to do something. "Wait, you want me to help you push this?"

"Yes sir, if you won't mind."

"W-Why do you need to push it?" Mei and Asura asked at the same time.

"It can't be pushed." Paylor stated, walking over to Heishi and Isaiah. "It's already structured and constructed to the wall; I even used formidable cement, bolts, and whatever materials needed."

"Are you sure?" Isaiah then instructed Heishi to do exactly as he said. The two then held onto the frame of the fireplace, and then attempted to pull it towards them. We were then shocked, as though it moved with ease, as though it had wheels. They then pushed it to the sides, and then after awhile, a hollow space was shown behind it.

"Woah…I didn't know there was something like that behind it!" Heishi said, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he stared at the space.

"W-When did you…" Asura begins to question.

Paylor was the one in shock the most, must be because he was the one who constructed it, but had no idea that that was there. "When did you…"

"Remember the time when Junko was found reading in this same room and rushed out?" Isaiah asked with a smile, his eyes looking at me, to Rika and Paylor, and then finally at Junko. "That's when I searched the room and noticed this. An interesting find, yes?"

Wait, so there was something like this during the entire time? "…It's starting to connect now…" I muttered, but I knew the Trial had just started, and that the climax is soon to come.

* * *

**I'm sorry that I have to end there. Well, at least I gave out some few details as to help you guys guess who the killer is! Stay tune for the next chapter, and we'll find out if Junko is innocent or not!**

**Now that I think about, I've been unconsciously shipping people together (do forgive me XD) Anyway, anyone knows a good ship name for Paylor and Mei? Or Isaiah with Serene or Josephine? XD Or if you like, you can give out your own shipped couples and their ship name…you may not know, I might do something with it…**

**Don't forget the votes, as well! Kana, Maron, and Serene died due to little or no votes at all! Save your favorite characters by voting for them (of course, the dead are…you know…)**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	13. Real Homicide?

**Hey, now first of all, replies to reviews!**

**- That1guyeveryonehates = thank you for the compliment! Appreciated it! Well, I purposely designed this case to be somewhat confusing, and surprising. I just hope that I got all the details right. *cough cough* Yeah, someone might be able to do just that, that 'ship couples' spin-off, hehe *cough cough* Someday…anyway, I LOVED Big Hero 6! The movie was epic, the characters and message…epic scenes, the feels, the awesomeness of technology and all that…**

**- ChitoseYume = Well, we'll just have to see who did it later. Anyway, thanks for the continued support! Hope to hear from you more, and that your future OC will be awesome! I hope you won't be disappointed whoever dies. Alright, let's continue the class trial!**

* * *

Gina

"It's starting to connect now…" I muttered, taking a glance from the hollow space behind the fireplace to Serene's corpse to Isaiah.

"…But, how did you find this again?" Rika inquired, obviously surprised at the discovery.

Isaiah let out a small laugh. "You stated last time that Junko was reading in this room when you unlocked the door yesterday, correct?" Rika nodded. "Well, in your earlier testimony, you said that you locked this room up at the same time everyday."

"Yes, from six in the evening until eight in the morning." Rika stated, making sure. "So?"

"It means that Junko used this space to hide until Rika and Paylor leave the room." Josephine stated. Eyes averted towards the introvert, his own eyes turning away.

"OI!" Monokuma rudely interrupted. "Okay, I admit, this discovery is interesting, and I'm so glad that you showed me this, Isaiah. Now I know where students might go to get lai-"

"I think we should get back to the courtroom!" Akane shouted out loudly, catching our attention.

* * *

"Still, it doesn't really make sense, mes amis." Liam began, every student and bear back in the courtroom. "For example, when did Junko get in?"

"Wow, you actually asked something sensible…" Rika muttered. Liam merely heaved a heavy sigh, a small vein popping up.

"He must have found out about it during the first day." I said. "That's why he was in the classroom by the next."

"W-We're still not sure when, exactly…" Mei said.

Paylor then said, "I saw Junko last time, around the last hour before Rika lock the door. He was examining me as I worked on the fireplace."

"That would explain how he found it, I guess." Akane said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But how did he pass by you, Paylor? I mean, you were working on the fireplace where that space was behind!"

"It was during the time Paylor went to get some tea, and when Rika was discussing interior designs with Liam someplace else." Junko said after a while of silence. "While you and Rika were gone, I checked the room out, and noticed that the wall behind the fireplace sounded empty."

"How did you notice?" Akane asked.

"Simple: I knocked on the wall."

"Ah, okay." Akane grinned.

Asura then began, "T-Then, I'm guessing that Paylor and Rika never noticed until now…"

"That's correct."

"How could you miss that?" Rika inquired towards Paylor. He just shrugged with a confused expression.

"W-Wait, I thought sleeping in classrooms is forbidden?!" Liam asked suddenly.

"Idiot." Josephine muttered.

"What did you say?!"

Heishi then answered, "Junko was probably reading the entire night out, and basically, that's not sleeping."

"Really? Can't wait to try that then!" The Artist exclaimed.

I sighed. "Let's go back to the case at hand…" Everyone nodded. I then noticed Josephine looking over at Junko. It's like she had something in mind.

"Okay, so now we know how Junko could've possibly got in." Heishi stated. "Next question: How did Serene gotten in?"

"Maybe she found out as well and tried to stay overnight?" Liam suggested.

Rika clicked her tongue. "Why don't you ask her murderer?"

"H-Hey, no one is a murderer here…" Asura stuttered.

"Oh yeah? So you're saying that some ghost killed Serene?" Rika taunted.

"That could be a possibility…." I commented, a crooked smile crossing my face.

"You're creepy." Akane invoiced bluntly.

"Hehe, you think so?" I muttered.

"Upupu, it seems that Miss Gina lost her marbles!" Monokuma exclaimed.

Isaiah faked a cough to catch our attention. "Anyway, Serene didn't really come upon it."

"W-What do you mean by that?" Mei inquired.

"Serene was too busy to check the room fully, and when she helped out, she never noticed." Isaiah answered.

"How could you be so sure?" Rika asked.

"I asked her once to join me for lunch. She told me that she was too busy."

"Then how about after Monokuma's announcement?" Heishi asked. "That ticked her off, right? What happened then?"

"I was with her since." Junko spoke, looking at us tediously.

"In short," Isaiah continued. "Someone showed it to her."

"Showed?" Rika repeated.

Isaiah nodded. "And since no one noticed the secret space until today, it could only point towards one person…"

"W-Which is Junko, right?" Asura finished. Isaiah nodded

"I see…" Paylor muttered. "So you're saying that Junko showed Serene the hollow space, and I assumed that he and Serene stayed there until Rika locked the door. They then came out afterwards?"

"Something like that." Isaiah stated, nodding.

"How did they get in without me or Paylor noticing yesterday?" Rika inquired arrogantly.

Liam snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "I know! They hid during the time I asked you two to look at my artworks in the library!"

"You showed those to us around thirty minutes before six in the evening, correct?" Paylor asked. Liam nodded, confirming. "That must be the time period when Junko and Serene hid themselves."

"Now wait." I heard Junko retort. "How could you be so sure something like that happened? You have no evidence." He said.

"I'm sure that you not being surprised of my discovery earlier and the room having no other way of entrance is legitimate enough evidence." Isaiah stated.

Junko backed down slightly. He then said, "Well then, how could you prove me killing Serene? There's no evidence to show that."

"Oh? Are you sure?" Isaiah questioned with a smirk on his face. "You didn't notice your witness last night, Sir Junko?"

"W-Witness?" Asura repeated nervously.

The man nodded. "Yes. Apparently, there was someone else in the room with Junko and Serene. However, this one hid behind the big couch in the corner of the room, therefore, the two didn't notice that person's presence. This one only came out of hiding when most of us were examining Serene's corpse and the room, slipping into the crowd and blending in."

"No way, someone else was in that room?!" Heishi questioned, shocked with a few others.

"So this person saw what happened?" Liam asked.

"How did you notice that much?" Akane asked curiously.

Isaiah answered Liam's question. "I'm not so sure, Sir Liam. Why don't we ask him?" He suggested with a smile, averting his attention onto someone. We followed him, and we were shocked to see who Isaiah was pertaining to.

Asura?!

The boy just waved his hands frantically in front of him. "N-No, i-it's not me!"

"W-What makes you think that Asura was the one that was in the room with Junko and Serene?" Mei asked, curious.

Isaiah merely smirked. Josephine, on the other hand, said, "He waves his hands frantically when he lies."

"E-Eh?! Really?" Asura cried out. "O-Oh no…"

"I was lying." Josephine immediately said.

"Huh? You're making me confuse, mademoiselle…" Liam muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Asura heaved a sigh of relief. "Y-You were just playing around, after all…"

"At least that reaction confirmed Isaiah's theory on you spying on Junko and Serene." Josephine said.

"Eh?!"

I looked over at Josephine. Despite her calm and composed appearance, she's sly and very much knows how to get the truth out of others. I averted my attention towards Asura. "So you'd seen how Serene died?"

"I-I told, I wasn't-"

"There's no need to continue lying, Sir Asura." Isaiah interrupted. "Just please tell us what you saw."

"And hurry it up." Rika insisted.

The boy just cringed in anxiety in his stall. "A-Alright…" He finally muttered. "To be honest, I didn't watch Junko and Serene the entire time. I-I was reading…"

"In the dark?" Akane asked. "Cool! You got keen vision too, huh?"

"A-Anyway, I've been reading for quite awhile, about two hours after R-Rika-san locked the door. I haven't noticed anything then. A-All of a sudden, I heard something, like steel getting into contact with a hard surface. A loud 'thud' then sounded behind me, which was then followed by another 'thud'. I didn't look immediately, but when I peeked, Serene was lying on the floor, a-and Junko stabbed her with Serene's sword!"

WHAT?!

"I-I immediately looked away afterwards, so I'm not sure what happened then. I waited until Rika-san unlocked the doors a-and you guys began filling the room before leaving…"

"Junko…did…" Paylor began to mutter, but couldn't finish.

"I-I knew it!" Rika exclaimed. "I knew that Junko was the murderer!"

"Hey, let's not get into conclusions!" Heishi stated.

I went silent and went over through the clues we brought up so far, and somehow, I was confused. I wondered how Asura came to the scene unnoticed, and slipped away into the crowd with almost everyone not noticing him. It was also strange that Junko was not fighting for his life, despite all the information pointing towards him as Serene's murderer. It's like he has nothing to worry about, except all of us dying, perhaps. There were also some details that don't connect. "Heishi's right. Let's not jump to conclusions yet."

"You're so persistent…" Rika muttered.

"Is it wrong to make sure?" I questioned.

Rika opened her mouth to retort, but closed it immediately. "…So? What information do you want to present?"

Information? I went through my previous memories to find anything that disconnects. I found a few. "First of all, we should discuss what happened before Serene died."

"You mean, t-the struggle, or something l-like that?" Mei stuttered.

I nodded. "Serene, as far as everyone knows, is known as the 'Ultimate Alpha', meaning, a student of high position in the school. This title, from what I know, is given to students who are disciplined, physically and mentally healthy, and have good grades and moral."

"Ugh…why are we going through this?" Liam complained, his expression depicting boredom. "Can we not talk about school in the class trial?"

"Hehehe, looks like someone hates school!" Akane exclaimed.

"I don't hate it, I just hate studying…" He replied.

Akane tilted her head slightly. "Eh? But you watched the entire Greek History Documentary with me. Isn't that studying?"

"You two." Josephine called out.

"What?" The two asked in unison.

"Shut up." The maiden bluntly demanded, averting her attention away from them.

"What just happened?" Monokuma asked, confused.

"Anyway," I continued. "If Junko did kill Serene, how did he do it?"

"H-He used the sword…" Asura answered, a bit timidly.

"Yes, he used the sword, but how did he get it?" I asked again. "I find quite hard to believe that Junko was able to grab the sword from the Alpha that easily."

The others looked at each other doubtfully, as though not convinced. "I actually have to agree with her." Paylor began. "It does seem rather farfetched if you think about their physical capabilities."

"Please, he could have snatched it from her when she wasn't looking and did a surprise attack." Rika retorted.

"If that what really happened, then why does Junko have bruises on his body?" I stated. I looked over at Junko. He sighed as he pushed the right sleeve of his sweater to reveal two dark bruises along his arm, and another one on his lower left leg.

"So you're saying that a struggle has occurred between the two, Lady Gina?" Isaiah asked.

"…I'm not sure…"

"Not sure?" Rika questioned. "It's obvious, isn't it?" She asked, looking over at her classmates. "Why would Serene, the school Alpha, would struggle with a fragile introvert? She could've easily killed him herself."

"Though that may seem possible," I began. "It didn't happen."

"Didn't happen?" Heishi repeated.

"But, didn't you just say that you aren't sure, mademoiselle?" Liam asked, confused slightly.

I shrugged. "I don't really know what I say sometimes. I feel like that a struggle never happened. If one did occur, then Serene's body should've been bruised up as well."

"You do know that you're making this very much vague to those who couldn't keep up?" Josephine invoiced, her vocabulary striking hard to those unfortunate few.

"Um…" I shook my head lightly. "Let's continue."

Paylor then began saying, "You stated that a struggle never happened, yet Junko acquired bruises, and is believed to have done a preemptive attack on Serene. With that said, how did Junko receive those wounds?"

"A very good question, Sir Paylor." Isaiah replied. "Has anyone else, besides Lady Gina and I, checked on Lady Serene's body during their investigation? Or when I showed the hollow space behind the fireplace?"

A few answered with a positive 'no'. "I-I'm no good with dead bodies…" Mei whimpered.

"I don't really investigate crime scenes." Heishi stated.

"No." Josephine answered bluntly.

"I-I left the place immediately…" Asura replied nervously.

"Why do you ask that?" Rika questioned. "Is there something we missed from the Alpha's corpse? As far as I can remember, she has no injuries except for the wound from Junko killing her."

"Why are you persistent on blaming Junko? He did nothing wrong, right?" Akane asked afterwards.

"Wrong." She answered bluntly. "First of all, he messed up the juxtaposition of the furniture and managed to make the chandelier rope inches shorter than it's suppose to be, and must I say again that he killed Serene with Asura being a witness?"

"Oui…someone moved around the furniture, making it lose its feeling of organization and subtle elegance…" Liam muttered a bit sadly. He then perked up and asked, "But I don't remember a chandelier being hanged, Mademoiselle Rika."

"It was a décor I decided to get the last minute. I thought it would add some sophistication to the room just as the room was to be finished." The Entrepreneur replied confidently.

"And…it got shorter?" I asked. Rika nodded. Looking back, the furniture that was moved ascended in height and has formed some sort of spiral stairs, and though I haven't noticed the chandelier rope itself, I feel like something happened there, with it being shorter than usual now.

Rika then produced a piece of paper. "There's also this. It's something that I found by Junko's dorm room door, at around three in the afternoon yesterday."

Mei took it and read it. Surprise was first evident, but then shock washed over her expression. "I-I-I'm going to kill her tonight?!"

WHAT?!

"This-is the reason why Junko should be the one to be blamed." Rika stated.

"Did you write that?" Heishi questioned towards Junko, who gave a shrug as an answer. "Answer me properly!"

"You're as sadistic as Monokuma, aren't you?!" Akane shouted.

"Hey, don't bring me up in your accusations!" The bear retorted angrily.

"Ehem." Isaiah coughed, retrieving our attention once more. "I asked earlier if anyone else check the body, and it seemed like only a few of us knew."

We all looked at each other, wondering why Isaiah was still going on about the case. If the evidence Rika presented was real, then it could only mean that Junko killed Serene. "Knew what?" Junko asked, but as far as I can tell, he knows what Isaiah was talking about.

The man looked over at us with a smile. "The impression around Serene's neck."

Impression?

"What, like some sort of markings? Heishi asked.

"Correct. It was strange indeed, if you think about it." Isaiah invoiced.

"But, if that's the case, then there was a struggle after all!" Akane exclaimed.

"That's not what it meant." Josephine stated.

"Oh yeah? You got a better theory?" Akane taunted with a smirk.

Josephine went quiet as she turned to look at me. "What happened? How did Serene get those marks? What kind of marks were they?"

I blinked, a bit overwhelmed by the series of questions. Luckily, Isaiah answered them for me. "You're all going to be confuse, so as much as possible, I'll try to make it easy to understand." With that, he began as we listened. "Lady Gina stated that a struggle never happened, despite the fact that Sir Junko has acquired a number of injuries."

Paylor nodded. "Yes, that seems to be the case."

"Well then," Isaiah continued. "If Sir Junko did do a preemptive attack, then how did Lady Serene get the markings? I'll give you a hint – it's connected with the change of the room and the shorter chandelier rope."

We all thought about it for a moment. The positioning of the furniture, which forms spiral stairs, must've been used to reach higher ground. However, there was no second floor, or any tall equipment or place that needs stairs to get to. The only thing that could've been in a high place was the chandelier – err, chandelier rope, that is. With that said, it gotten shorter, for some reason, which was believed to be done by Junko. "…The only conclusion I can come up to is…"

"Hanging." Josephine finished, me closing my mouth, seeing that there's no use in continuing.

Most of us went silent, overwhelmed by the act. "J-J-Junko-san hanged Serene?!" Asura cried out, breaking down slightly.

"T-That's just preposterous, mes-amis…" Liam muttered.

"I know, right?!" Akane agreed.

"How could that be?" Heishi inquired. "I know I'm discriminating at the moment, but how could Junko have hanged Serene?" He then looked at Junko. "But no offense, you really are less physically capable than Serene."

"That's right, Sir Heishi." Isaiah said, smiling. "That would explain why the Alpha has no other injuries."

"What?"

"Idiots." Josephine muttered, probably pertaining to all of us. "It's broad as daylight."

"What do you mean?" Rika questioned bluntly.

"My, it seems as though someone else was able to figure it out." Isaiah muttered.

Josephine nodded. I, on the other hand, was still keeping up. I'm not as observant as those two. "…What did she figure out?"

The maiden turned to all of us, her umbrella peacefully placed on her shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? Serene hanged herself."

…Silence fell over us once more. Serene…hanged herself? What does that…

"The he-…" Heishi cursed, somewhat in a state of shock.

"I-It can't be…" Paylor muttered. "Serene…"

"…That can't be." Rika retorted with her fists clenched slightly. "How could she kill herself? The note, explain the note Junko written! Isn't that evidence that he killed her?!"

"J-Junko-san didn't write that note…" Mei said, almost in a whisper. All eyes turn to her. "T-This note…it was written in both the Alphabets and Katakana. T-The Japanese characters must've been used to make Junko understand. The Alphabets, however, couldn't be written by him…" She explained.

"So you're saying that someone else killed her?" Liam asked.

"No." Isaiah answered. "Josephine is correct. Serene killed herself through hanging."

"But…" Rika began to retort.

"That would explain the sound pattern." I muttered, this time, all attention on me. "As Asura stated earlier in his testimony, he heard sounds. He didn't notice anything earlier, until he heard steel against a hard surface. That must be when Junko unsheathed Serene's sword from the hilt."

"Sir Junko then cut the rope, leading to Serene's body falling to the floor. From that high, it could've made that first 'thud' sound." Isaiah continued, then showing the piece of rope that was cut off. "I found this in the hollow space behind the fireplace, which only Junko and Serene know about until today."

"That last 'thud' was Junko's, perhaps from losing his balance and fell as well. That would explain his bruises." Josephine finished.

Rika was crestfallen, probably because all evidence proved our theories, and that she couldn't solve this case. "I-Impossible…"

"So…does that mean you guys are right?" Akane asked.

"I think so…" Liam muttered.

"What if they're not?" We all turned our head towards Junko, his arms folded across his chest. "What if I'm just playing with these details, and made it look like Serene did suicide?" He retorted. "If you get this wrong, you're all dead."

"W-What are you doing?" Mei whimpered, looking sadly at Junko. "Y-You're saying that…"

"Hmph." Junko then turned to look at me. "You can vote now if you like, but in the end, doubt will takeover. If you like…" He then raised his hands, as though he was being arrested. "I'll confess."

"Confess?" I repeated.

"I killed Serene…" He finally said. "I killed Serene…" He repeated, in a more quiet voice. I couldn't believe it. He was confessing…after all this?

("But, he didn't look like someone that would kill.") I thought. Something must be missing…

"Make your vote." Junko said solemnly, looking away.

("No…there's something I'm missing…") I looked around, and I see some of them getting doubtful and getting confused. ("We'll end up choosing wrong if I don't do something…")

"I killed-"

"You didn't!" I retorted loudly, realizing it afterwards as I withdrew slightly. "You didn't kill her, Junko."

The boy looked a bit surprised, but he kept his cool. "Prove it."

Think, Gina. Junko didn't kill Serene, I just know it, but how could I prove it? Asura, though a witness, didn't watch the entire scene. Rika was also someone who saw Junko when she unlocked the door. After she screamed, we all entered, to find Serene, dead. Something happened then, but what was it?

Only one detail came to mind. "…Monokuma's announcement…" I muttered.

"Excuse me?" Rika asked.

"Monokuma's announcement…only happens when three students have discovered the body…" I explained. I looked over at Monokuma. "These three people…it can be anyone except the killer?"

The monochromic bear danced on his throne. "Hm? Will my answer change how this case goes?"

"Just answer, dammit!" Heishi shouted.

"Alright, alright, sheesh." Monokuma began. "To answer your question, yes, three people, other than the killer, must discover the body to activate the announcement."

And that was it, we figured it out. I turned to look at Junko, and surprisingly, he was slightly shocked and in a defensive manner. He was about to retort when I said, "You didn't kill Serene. You, Asura and Rika were the first three people that discovered the body."

"No, it's just…" Junko was about to counter.

I looked down and muttered. "Just stop."

* * *

**Okay, I'm pretty much sure that you guys figured it out as well. Now you're probably wondering – who's going to get punished? Well, sorry for making it a bit of a cliffhanger…I try as much as possible to keep the total of words at a limit…all due to certain reasons.**

**Well, absolute results will be in the next chapter (and again, please don't hate for whatever happens), which will also be posted the same day, since I wasn't able to last week (Internet connection got cut off)**

**Another thing: I recommend to you all to watch Big Hero 6! Just watch it, you'll not regret it! It's an epic movie with great characters and an amazing story plot. Watch it! If you did already, watch it again, it's just that amazing! (Thank you, 'That1guyeveryonehates', for recommending it and your instructions XD)**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	14. A Death to Save Most

**Okay, as promised, I updated twice today, so as to make-up for not updating last week. For people who'll read this, please don't hate me for whatever happens ('cause it didn't really happen in the Danganronpa series, I think…) Just read and review, alright? We're all good? Okay, let's move on!**

* * *

Gina

We weren't sure what happened, and I'm sure that most of us just can't accept it. Injustice, they called it, but he just called it "lesson-learn". It was nine in the morning, and we were all in the cafeteria. A gloomy atmosphere was evident; none of us dare to mutter a word. Others weren't just in the mood, whilst others were rather traumatized by the previous events. What happened, you ask? Virulent injustice happened.

* * *

_"Just stop." I repeated, looking over at Junko._

_The boy just stared at me, gaped at me. He spoke no words as Monokuma shouted out, "Oi, how long are you going to stare into each others' eyes?"_

_Junko's breathing stifled slightly. I breathe in sharply as I began. "After Serene heard the announcement, she fell right into fear and despair."_

_"G-Gina-chan, what are you-"Mei began, but was cut off by Heishi. He shook his head._

_Junko looked at me. I continued. "After she left, she turned to you and confessed to you what happened. I'm sure she felt safe with you, and she's comfortable with telling the truth and her intentions to you."_

_"Wait, so they're dating?" Akane asked._

_"Quiet." Rika muttered, glaring at the Sharpshooter._

_"With that said, I believe that she entrusted you with a note, stating her intentions for the upcoming night. You understood her note. I'm not sure what you two have, but you decided to aid her, risking yourself in the process." Gina paused, looking down. "You shared your knowledge with her. Just as Rika and Paylor were out, you two snuck in unnoticed. After you were both locked in, you proceeded with the plan."_

_"Stop…" Junko muttered._

_"No." I retorted. "So as to not risk your life for execution, Serene did suicide, so that you won't be convicted as 'murderer'. She was the one who prepared the stairs, and as she was about to hang herself, you took her sword, and she committed suicide." I looked around the room, and I noticed that all of them were paying close attention, as though as I was telling a fairytale to young children. "However…you changed the entire scene and made it looked like you killed Serene."_

_"That's when you cut her loose…" Isaiah added._

_"As you did, she fell, and so did you. So as to change how she died, you used her sword and stabbed her, which Asura was a witness to, only he wasn't aware that it was just you fabricating what really happened." I then heaved a breath. "…When Rika opened to see what've you done, Monokuma made that announcement, signaling that three people that were not killers have discovered Serene's body."I looked at Junko. "All the changes you did, all the tempering with Serene's real death…futile…" I finished._

_Just as I finished, Monokuma yawned in boredom and said, "Well, none of you are going to say anything? If not, let's get on with the voting!" I heard sighs around me, but we don't have a choice. We vote for the person who we think is the murderer. However, for this case…_

_"Will you be wrong? Or will you be right?" Monokuma questioned. The ballots were in, and it resulted to…_

_Serene Cristalli._

_"Ding sing dong!" The bear cried out. "You guys are correct! The one who killed Serene…was no other than Serene Cristalli herself, gyahahaha!"_

_I looked around and saw the regretful or pained looks of my classmates. I looked over at Isaiah, and I was surprised to see him with a depressed expression. "Ding sing dong?" Akane muttered, confused._

_"Eh, it's a new expression of mine." Monokuma stated._

_I sighed as I looked over at Junko. His head was hung up, as though despair caught him, as well. I opened my mouth to speak, but Isaiah immediately took over. "Why did you do it?" He asked._

_The boy, the one who was thought to have killed Serene, looked towards the taller man. "…" He gave no answer._

_"Why did you…"_

_"It's just something she does…" Junko muttered, rubbing his arm slightly, looking away. "…Before she died, she thought of having one last time to mess around with you guys…she asked me to help her…"_

_"Play around? Mademoiselle Serene, le Alpha?" Liam questioned._

_Junko, in a long time, smirked. "Yeah…she doesn't want to die without having fun in the end, it seems…"_

_"But…" Isaiah began. "Why…did she…"_

_Junko finally answered, "She wanted to save you all."_

_"S-Save?" Mei stuttered._

_"…She went and fulfilled Monokuma's incentive's request…" I muttered. "If no one dies within twenty-four hours, all of us will…"_

_"Being the Alpha who watches over her fellow classmates, she will put all of your lives before hers…"Junko stated, adding, "That's why this happened…" We all went silent after that. I looked around, and noticed the embarrassed or teary looks of my classmates. Serene's death and the reason behind it seemed to have taken them by surprise, at least that's what I thought. _

_"Neh? Are you all done yapping?" Monokuma asked in his usual high-pitched voice. "If you are, then let's get it on!"_

_We all looked at him. "G-Get…it on?" Asura stuttered._

_"What are you talking about, Monsieur?" Paylor questioned, his eyes dead focused on the bear._

_Monokuma merely sighed, hands behind his back. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…have you forgotten already? We did it last time, upupu…"_

_"D-Did what last time?" Mei asked._

_"Gyah! Punishment Time, what else?!" The bear shouted in irritation._

_EH?!_

_"B-B-But no one killed Serene!" Asura invoiced._

_"Don't tell me you're going to kill Monsieur Junko?!" Liam questioned._

_"Nah…he's not going to be punished for helping Serene die." Monokuma answered. He then looked towards Rika's direction. "How's the classroom coming along, **Project Manager**?" He asked, emphasizing the last two words._

_She was taken aback slightly, but answered bluntly. "It's almost complete. After today, it'll be ready for use tomorrow."_

_"Neh, is that so?" The bear replied, quite sarcastically. "And when did I say the deadline of the project will be?"_

_"Deadline?" Rika repeated as she then suddenly gasped as she remembered. "T-The deadline…i-it's after someone…dies, correct?"_

_An evil grin crossed Monokuma's face. "Upupupu…" He laughed in a low voice. "It's past the deadline, Rika-chan~"_

_"D-Don't worry, I'll have it completed in no-" Rika began to panic, only to be cut off by Monokuma._

_"Upupu, I said last time that if the project isn't completed on time…the **Project Manager **will be punished..." He stated with evil intent evident in his crimson eyes._

_All of us went into shock, understanding the meaning behind his words. "You don't mean…" Isaiah muttered._

_"Mademoiselle Rika will be executed?!" Paylor questioned with disbelief washing over his expression._

_"Bingo!" The bear cheered._

_I was in shock as well. "But…she didn't do anything wrong…" I muttered in a monotone._

_"Wrong!" Monokuma retorted. "She failed to complete a school project on time, AND, she allowed not one, but two students to get hurt during the process, with one dying in the end!" He stated. "I think people being that irresponsible deserve to be punished, no?"_

_"That's just sick!" Akane shouted._

_"I will not approve of this injustice!" Heishi invoiced._

_I averted my attention over to Rika, and in her stall, she was breaking down. "N-No…I-I…" She began to stutter. Sweat broke out of her forehead, her breathing pacing to the anxiety and fear in her heart. "I-I promise, it will never happen again!"_

_"Too late! What's done is done, and there's nothing you could do about it." The bear exclaimed, a sadistic laugh coming out of him. "GYAHAHAHAHA!"_

_Rika merely collapsed in her stall, tears beginning to slide down the line of her face. Paylor clicked his tongue as he went over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Please stop crying, Mademoiselle…"_

_"I-Idiot…" She began. "I-I'm going to…"_

_"You're not going to die!" He tried to ensure her. Rika just flung her arms around him and embraced him tightly, as though her life was coming to an end._

_"Well, let's get this rolling, shall we?" Monokuma began._

_"Stop this, Monokuma, or else!" Heishi threatened, though futile._

_"Jichiryou, Rika, the Ultimate Entrepreneur…" The bear muttered virulently._

_"Paylor, I…" Rika began to mutter softly, but she never finished what she had to say._

_"I'm sorry." Was all the Inventor could relay to the maiden in her final moment.._

_"IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME FOR YOU!"_

* * *

**_You're Fired!_**

_Rika was placed into a long, narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor, Monokuma was sitting there, wearing a business suit with his legs rested upon an office desk. On the table was a contract, a contract that if Rika signs it, she'll be saved. In an instant, the maiden rushed towards the desk, encountering different tasks that she went through and successfully completed them in her career as an entrepreneur. Breezing through Monokuma's obstacles, she arrived at the desk, snatched up a pen, and signed the contract in a hurry. Just as she finished, Monokuma swept up the paper and read it, nodding afterwards. Rika sighed in belief, only to speculate Monokuma tearing up the piece of paper. "It's was nice working with you, but it seems that I have to let you go!" He exclaimed, and then a trapped door under Rika opened. She fell into the pit of blazing fire, her body disappearing into the gulfs of its flames._

* * *

_All of us went into shock and disbelief. Rika was burned right before our eyes while Monokuma just let it happened to her. An intense atmosphere fell upon us as Monokuma popped right out of his throne once more. "Woo-wee, that was dang-right hot down there!" He exclaimed, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead._

_"Monster!" Akane shouted out angrily. "How dare you kill Rika?! Sure, she may be a quick-tempered control freak, but she's still one of us!"_

_"She still didn't even do anything wrong!" Liam invoiced._

_"Shut your mouths before I cast you into the fire pit as well!" Monokuma retorted, his claws ready. He sighed as he then said, "Anyway, lesson learned: Make sure to finish your homework on time!" He exclaimed._

_"L-Lesson learned?!" Mei whimpered. "You're not teaching us anything other than to kill each other!"_

_"Well, at least you know the despair of it, upupu."_

_I just stayed silent and observed. I watched as Heishi began to threat Monokuma, with Isaiah and Akane trying to stop him from hitting the thing. I averted my eyes towards Paylor, and saw his saddened look. It was unlikely to see him in such a state, and to be honest, it was hard to look at._

_"Anyway, I'll finish up Jichiryou's work, and hopefully, it could be used tomorrow, until next time then!" Monokuma exclaimed, waving goodbye at us as he disappeared in an instant._

* * *

I sat there in my chair, staring into oblivion as my mind was busy with so many thoughts. I sighed as I looked around once more to see the depressed look on my classmates. Paylor was nowhere to be found, and so was Junko. Both were probably dampened by what happened by previous events. I think it's the best for them to take some time to be alone for now.

"…Um…" I heard Himitsu muttered after a long time of silence. "Are you guys going to be like this for awhile?"

"What are you talking about?" Akane asked, perking up slightly from laying her head on the table.

The playboy scratched the back of his head as he replied, "It's not like you guys to be quiet for this long…"

"You can't blame them, Sir Himitsu…" Isaiah stated. "Bad things have caused their vibes to undergo such a solemn state…"

"What?" Liam asked.

"I meant you're all depressed due to the death of two of our classmates…" Isaiah rephrased.

"Ah…yeah…" Liam sighed then slid right back into his seat. I noticed Josephine looking around and standing up, leaving the cafeteria in silence.

Mei began muttering something. "…I think we should try to cheer up Paylor-sama and Junko-kun…"

Asura nodded in agreement. "Ever since yesterday, t-they've been trying to avoid us or something. I-I'm guessing that they have a lot on their minds…"

Heishi stood up. "I'm going to find them and talk to them." He stated as he left the cafeteria as well.

"I-It's nice that they're starting to talk again, but…" Himitsu began with a crooked smile on his face. "They're all leaving…"

"Maybe they went off to look for the other two?" Liam asked.

"Well, I think it's better to leave the two alone." Akane suggested. "I mean, they both lost their love ones."

"Huh?" I questioned.

The Sharpshooter just shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like Junko had a thing for Serene, and that Rika had feelings for Paylor."

I looked around as well, and seeing that there's nothing else to do, I stood up and left as well. "W-Where are you going, Gina-chan?" Mei inquired.

I took one glance at her and answered, "I'm going to find them."

* * *

I tried looking for them in places that they might be. For Paylor, I checked the Library, and fortunately, he was there. He had a finger brushing along the covers of the shelved books, as though he was picking out a book. I faked a cough to get his attention. He turned to look at me. "Oh, bonjour, Mademoiselle Gina. Je suis bien aise de vous revoir!" He greeted.

I nodded at him, and gave a small smile. "You know that I don't speak French." The man just merely chuckled as I approached him. "…Why are you here?"

He sighed as he averted his attention back at the books. "I'm not so sure…I just feel like being alone for now." He said, picking out a book, scanning its pages then returning it back into the shelf.

I stared at him for a moment. "…What did Rika say to you?" I asked again.

"Heh, you heard that?"

"Of course."

"Hehe, well then," Paylor looked at me and smiled. "She didn't finish what she had to say, so I'm not sure."

"…I see." I replied as I sat by the table, looking around as I asked, "Why did you say sorry?"

"Excusez moi?" He asked with a surprised look on his face.

I looked at him. "Before she died, you said sorry. Why?"

Silence fell upon us as I awaited his answer. He merely turned his head away, saying, "I promised her that nothing bad would happen to her. Instead of getting hurt, she died, and I knew I hadn't fulfilled my promise."

"But why would you promise her that?" I questioned immediately. "You know what kind of position we're in right now, and basically, harm is inevitable."

"You're talkative today, aren't you, Mademoiselle?"

"Just answer, please."

The Inventor looked at me attentively. He sighed as he stepped away from the book shelf and walked over to another corner of the library. He then said, "I just wanted to assure her…"

"Huh?" I began. "I don't really understand."

A smirk crossed the man's face. "Madame Rika is lonely, well, at least at heart. I noticed this, and…"

"You thought of being there for her?" I finished. He nodded. "She's lonely because she's not good in getting friends, in my opinion."

"Well, it is in her character to be independent." Paylor invoiced. "But work gets in the way of the social life of people."

"Let me guess, Rika was one of them?" Paylor nodded. "I know you're a good guy, but making such a promise…" The Inventor laughed slightly. I was a bit taken aback. "W-What's so funny?"

"Hehe, nandemonai." He said.

I looked at him weirdly. "You…can speak Japanese?"

"Only a little. I asked Mei and Rika to teach me." He said, but then his jovial self became slightly solemn. "I made that promise so as to show Rika that she can depend on someone…it seems that she won't be able to now…" He muttered. I went quiet as I looked at him. As I was about to open my mouth to speak, he asked in a quiet voice, "By the way, have you seen a laptop around here?"

"Laptop?" I repeated, following his quietness. "Wait, why would there be a laptop here in the first place? Monokuma cut off all of our connection to the outside world."

"I know. It's just that this one was here when I checked the second floor for the first time."

"You mean the time where Himitsu hacked into your miniature robot's core?" I recalled.

"I-I think so…" Paylor replied. "Anyway, it's gone now."

"Maybe Monokuma took it."

"Hm…seems like it…" Paylor muttered. He then coughed a bit and said, "You should look for Junko. You're looking for him as well, right?"

I nodded. "Wait, how did-"

"You should find him and give him a little pep talk." Paylor suggested with a smile. I tried to retort, but then just nodded and began finding the other boy. I wonder where he could've gone.

* * *

I deducted the places where Junko might be, but in the end, I couldn't find him. I checked one last room: The room Serene died in. I heaved a heavy sigh, knowing that many things revolved around the room. I opened the door and entered, and, true to his words, Monokuma finished the room Rika was working on as Project Manager. The chandelier was now there, and the room was designed according to the designs Rika had drawn out which Liam kept. I looked around the room, but I didn't see Junko. As I was leaving, I remembered something, and I face-palmed myself for forgetting it. I walked over to the fireplace, and I pushed it aside. My guess was right; Junko was sulking in the hollow space behind the fireplace. "…Won't you get deprived of oxygen in here?"

Junko looked up at me with his sleepy eyes. Did he stay here overnight without sleeping? Well, if he did, he would be breaking the rules. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"I was looking for you." I answered bluntly, a small, crooked smile on my face.

Junko crawled out of the space and rested upon a comfy, red couch. With an arm over his eyes, he asked, "Why were you looking for me?"

"Just curious where you went." I said, walking over to him whilst folding my arms across my chest.

"I doubt that's all." He muttered quietly.

"Fine, I want to see how you're doing." I gave in as I sat at the arm of the couch. Silence fell over us. Breaking it, I asked, "…Why did you help Serene…to…"

Junko sat up properly, leaning against the soft couch. "To suicide?" I nodded. He sighed and said, "Will it be enough if I said that she asked me to?"

"No, because I know that there's more to that." I invoiced.

He sighed again. "…Yeah, there's more to that, but Serene told me to keep it a secret until the right time comes…"

I looked at him curiously. "So…she'd really asked you to?" He nodded. "But then, why did you let her?"

He closed his eyes and said, "Because I know that whatever I do, she'll do it anyway. She told it she intends to do so, and that she would save everyone."

"But…Rika…"

"Yes, Serene wasn't able to save Rika, but it's not her fault…" He retorted immediately.

"So it's a ghost's fault?" I asked. Junko looked at me curiously. "I knew it…" I whispered.

He merely laugh a bit then hugged his legs and said, "She just wants to keep everyone safe…"

I closed my mouth before I could speak. Serene did fulfill Monokuma's incentive, but it risked her life. She died to save us, but failed to rescue one. I looked away from Junko as I asked, "…Why…did she asked you? You're not that close, right?"

Junko was quiet, until he muttered, "I remember her…" He began. "I just…remembered her, from somewhere…other than here."

Remembered? "Wait, remember?"

"Yes…I feel like I'm missing some of my memories…" He said, resting his head on his knees. I glanced at him, and he smiled at me slightly. I turned away. "Thank you for checking on me…" He muttered.

I just nodded. "…Yeah…glad I did." I said, standing up. I walked over to him and gave him one of my crooked smiles. "If you sleep here, who knows what Monokuma will do to you?"

Junko nodded, getting up slowly. "Yeah…I should get some rest…" He muttered, leaving the room with nothing but a small smile.

As he left, I thought about something for a moment. I began to ponder about it over. "Active in the evening, tired in the morning…" I said. "Is he a vampire? That's a kind of ghost, right?"

**JICHIRYOU, RIKA: DEAD**

* * *

**And there's the chapter that I promised you guys. Hope you like it! (and forgive me for killing Rika) Well, this is Danganronpa, and it is Monokuma's job to bring despair to our dear students…**

**Anyway, look forward to the next chapter!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	15. Explore!

**Hehe, okay, I'm back with another chapter! Anyway, in the next few chapters, it'll be character developments. So…yeah…**

**- That1guyeveryonehates = yeah, I'm actually sad to let that happen to Serene and Rika…that's just so terrible of me…well, as for the spinoff…hehe, I have a few plans for it XD**

**- ChitoseYume – please no hate on Monokuma, he's cute…Hate on the person behind Monokuma, probably? Anyway, hope my future chapters don't disappoint!**

**Read away now!**

* * *

Gina

I slept the next night away, hoping to wake up to a day where everyone isn't in a depressive state. While waiting for sleep to take over, I thought about the recent events, and what Paylor said earlier about me being 'talkative'. I was actually surprised at myself. When I was younger or in middle school, I was nowhere near 'talkative'. My fellow schoolmates just take one look at me before leaving in a hurry, leaving no chance for me to converse with anyone. Also, I'm not much of a people-person, yet recently, I noticed how much I interacted with my classmates. I also begin to worry for their welfare, and I tried to uplift their spirits. This me now is nothing like the one before, it seems, which I am still curious and startled about. After much waiting, drowsiness washed over me, my eyes closing to its deep slumber.

* * *

**"Morning, students! Rise and Shine! It's a brand new day, so better make it count!"**

…Announced the high-pitched voice of the monochromic bear, Monokuma. I just stirred in my bed, placing a pillow on my ear as to block out the noises out. Unfortunately, a knock on the door persisted for about five minutes before I opened it. I was still in my bedclothes, and I was in no mood to bother myself with anyone as of that moment. "W…What are you doing here?" I asked, looking at Himitsu with an apathetic expression.

The playboy smiled at me with his usual seductive grin. "Good morning, Gina-chan!~" He cooed.

Now that I remembered it, he tried… "Don't plan on hitting on me…" I immediately invoiced.

He looked confused at first, but then laughed. "Oh, haha, don't worry about that." He said. "I came to fetch you to explore the newly opened floor."

"Oh? A new floor has opened?" I asked. Now that I think about it, after Kana's case, the second floor became available to us students. It must be the new system of Monokuma after every murder, then.

"Yeah, the others are already checking it out." Himitsu stated.

"Wait, this early?"

"Yeah, it's strange, isn't?" He commented, grabbing my hand as he dragged me out of my room.

"I-I haven't dressed up yet!"

* * *

After dressing up in my usual attire, I reluctantly joined Himitsu to explore the opened 3rd floor. The first room I came upon there was an Entertainment or Recreation Room. A billiard table was present, and so does other things like a magazine shelf, dart board, coffee table and chairs for rest, and many more. I found Heishi and Akane there. "Hey, guys!" Heishi called out.

"Slowpokes!" Akane exclaimed with a smile. "We checked this place earlier, and it's pretty cool!"

I looked around, and I then noticed a dartboard having bullet marks. "Did you try shooting this?"

Akane smirked as she grabbed a gun from under her skirt. She must have a gun holder strapped around her thigh. "Yep, I've been shooting with pinpoint accuracy!" She stated as she confidently shot three more bullets, all hitting the very center of the dartboard.

"Impressive." Heishi complimented. "But you should stop shooting wherever you go!"

"Hey, come on, don't be like that."

"What if you break something important? Or end up hurting someone?"

"Who could I possibly hurt here-" Akane began, but then Heishi simply pushed the Sharpshooter's hand with the gun. All of a sudden, a bullet was shot and it hit the wall behind Himitsu, missing the man by a few centimeters.

I was in bit of a shock, especially Himitsu. "W-W-Watch where you point that thing!" He shouted.

"…I wonder if it's better if you're a ghost?" I questioned, the playboy looking at me with nonchalant eyes.

"What are you even saying? You want me dead?" He moaned. I just shrugged, and he sighed.

"See, that's what I meant." Heishi said.

Akane pouted. "Hey, it's your fault for pulling the trigger!"

"The trigger is loose, so your guns aren't safe."

"I think we should check the other rooms…" Himitsu whispered in my ear, making my cringe slightly as we snuck out of there. Still, I could hear them.

"I'm not vandalizing, I'm practicing!" Akane exclaimed.

"If Serene would here, should call it vandalizing!" Heishi retorted.

* * *

Our next destination was the Art Room, and as expected, Liam was there. He is also accompanied by Mei and Isaiah. "Isn't this place magnifique?!" Liam exclaimed enthusiastically.

"The details on this sculpture are quite intricate, I must say." Isaiah commented, looking at a white, marble statue closely whilst rubbing his chin.

Mei was doing calligraphy on a canvas. I approached her and observed her as her small hands elegantly move across the medium, the brush in hand smoothly following along. "…You…like Calligraphy?" I asked.

The maiden looked over at me and smiled. "I do these Online Calligraphy Tutorial videos for those who want to learn it, so yes." She answered.

"I see…"

"Woah…" I heard Himitsu moaned. I looked over at him and noticed that he was staring at something. I looked in the same direction, and I was a bit startled at what I saw.

"Hahaha! Impress, mes amis?" Liam cheered as his clothes and part of his face were all covered in multicolored paint. A dripping brush in hand and a wide grin on his face, he presented a big canvas featuring the time of the Renaissance with a hint of Baroque influence and chiaroscuro technique.

"How…did you…" I began.

"F-Finish that so fast?" Mei finished, surprised and slightly shocked.

"Hehe, that's the Art Prodigy for you." Isaiah said with a small smile on his face.

"Hehe, I did this sketch earlier, and I liked it so much, that I put it into painting!" Liam exclaimed. He just continued to grin jovially. "Oh how great art is!"

I just let a small, crooked smile cross my face. "You do seem to enjoy..." I muttered quietly. I looked over at Isaiah, and I noticed that he was looking at my direction.

He looked at me and asked, "How's your day so far, Lady Gina?"

"Fine." I answered bluntly as usual. "You?"

"It's going well." He replied. I nodded. I then noticed the statue Isaiah was observing earlier. It was a beautiful woman with some sort of cloth draped over her porcelain body.

"She's beautiful, no?" Liam said, approaching the marble statue and heaved a sigh. "I must say, Lady Aphrodite really is the Deity of Beauty, the Goddess of Refinement!"

"So this is the statue you've been talking about?" I asked. "I thought you planned on exhibiting her in the Recreational Classroom?"

Liam looked at me with a smirk. "Oui, I did, Mademoiselle. However, I never guessed that there would be a room like this! That's why I asked Sir Isaiah to help me transfer it here!"

"Oh….I see…" I muttered.

The Artist looked at me curiously. He then immediately said, "A-Also, that room is getting crowded with other stuff Monokuma added."

I looked at him. "Is that so? I guess it's better to make that room free for movement." I said. I nodded as I continued to look around the room.

Himitsu then, all of a sudden without warning, snaked his arm around my waist. "Hey, why don't you and I head to-"

I immediately pushed him away and ran as fast as I can. "P-Playboy…"

* * *

I panted as I stopped at a strange room. "I…should…stop…running like…that…" I heaved, gasping for air from time to time.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle!" I looked up and saw Paylor, greeting me with a smile of his. "Now why does it seem like you're out of air?"

"Himitsu…playboy…" I heaved.

He laughed slightly. "He should've been called the Ultimate Playboy, then?" He teased.

I nodded. "Yeah…something like that…" I then looked around properly, and I found myself in a strange place. "Where am I?"

"I assume it's some sort of laboratory?" Paylor suggested, looking around.

I looked over at the machines, and some complex blueprints of some sort. In the middle of the room was a giant machine with a sphere at the top. I then noticed Josephine taking a look at the room. We both got into eye contact for a split second, before turning our heads away. "Um…do you know what these machines are for?" I asked, looking at Paylor as he was by the upper part of the big machine.

"Well…" He began. He pointed towards the ones by wall with wirings and antennae. "Those probably must keep the stability of power within the facility, providing us lighting and electricity." He then gestured over a cylinder-like machine. "That one must be a water quality control unit, making sure the flow of water is smooth and that it is filtered." Then he looked over at the big one. He went over the controls and the database. "According to this, this is an oxygen-regulator, providing us with fresh air to breathe in. This machine is very important for our survival here. If this were to stop working, carbon-dioxide will deprive us of oxygen."

"Therefore…killing us?" I finished. He nodded as he climbed back down. "Well, it seems Monokuma thought this place through."

"Yep, that's right!" Josephine, Paylor and I looked around the room when that familiar voice pitched in. Then, out of nowhere, Monokuma popped right out, landing on top of the giant contraption. "Howdy! How are you'll doing? Badly, I know." He said, laughing evilly afterwards.

"What brings you here, Ghost of Seizon High?" I suddenly blurted out.

"Ghost?" Monokuma repeated.

"I mean, aren't you once a toy bear then was possessed by someone dead here in the past?" I explained, my weirdness taking over my character for the moment.

"Hey, I told you, I'M NO TOY!" He retorted, a vein popping out. "Do you want me to claw ya?"

I then blinked and said, "I didn't break any rules."

"But you're insulting me!" He countered. I sighed, but then noticed Josephine slipping out of the room. Where is she going? "Hey, are you listening to me?!" Monokuma called out towards me. "Sheesh, you're starting to get on my nerves, Hagarashi..." He grunted.

I averted my attention back at the thing. Paylor stepped in, though his expression was solemn. "Are you only here to play around?"

Monokuma tilted his head slightly. "Oh? You're not in a happy mood, aren't you?" Paylor sighed as he excused himself politely. He then left the room, leaving me with the crazy, psychotic, murderous bear. "Upupu…he really is in a bad mood."

"…You killed Rika..." I muttered, looking at the bear. "That's why."

"Aw, don't be like that, Gina-chan!~" He cooed.

The way he talked made me shrug slightly. "Don't call me that…" I said, a bit gloomily.

"What? Gina-chan?"

"Yes." I replied bluntly. "Himitsu is already calling me that…"

Monokuma looked up at me. "You mean that hacker?" I nodded. "You mean that blonde guy with that fancy suit and tie?" I nodded. "You mean that-"

"I think you can guess by now." I interrupted, sighing afterwards. "…I'm just going to leave…" I said, leaving the room without waiting for Monokuma to answer back.

* * *

Himitsu woke me up too early to my liking, so I decided to continue sleeping. But then again, I was hungry, and I was dragged to the third floor without breakfast. With hunger getting in the way of my thoughts, I went to the cafeteria. I found Junko and Asura there, talking amongst themselves. Asura looked at my direction and waved at me. I just nodded back, heading towards the kitchen and began making my suppose-to-be-breakfast. I then chose a table and ate there.

"G-Good morning, Miss Gina." Asura greeted, walking towards me with a small and nervous smile.

"Hey, Asura." I replied, taking a bite out of my brunch. Afterwards, Junko and Asura joined me, which I was a bit surprised at. Usually, people avoided being near to me. ("So I'm really that oblivious to changes…")

"You're already done checking the third floor?" Junko asked, sipping on a glass of soda.

"Yeah, how about you guys?"

Asura just laughed a bit nervously. "I-I checked with Junko earlier."

"All the windows are still bolted, and the cameras are still there." Junko said. I sighed at the news. "It seems that Monokuma has locked the entire place down just to keep us from escaping."

As I was eating, I took a quick glance at Asura. Suddenly, a thought came to me that made me question: "Asura, are you some sort of solid spirit?"

.

.

.

Eh?

"S-S-Solid spirit?" Asura stuttered.

I gave him a small, crooked smile. "I mean, you were able to sneak into places without people knowing, like the time when you saw Kana last, and when you watched Serene and Junko…"

"Now that I think about," Junko began. "I do find it quite unusual for you to be able to do that with such slyness and ease."

"I-I-I'm not a stalker or anything!" Asura countered. "I-I-I just happen to do things like that w-without realizing it!"

"A ghost with amnesia?" I asked myself.

"N-No!" Asura retorted.

"I don't think Asura could be a ghost. Ghosts are ethereal." Junko stated. He then poked Asura's side, saying, "He seems solid enough to be human."

With that, Asura rushed out of the cafeteria without saying anything else. "…I think I scared him off…" I muttered.

"Excuse me." Junko said, standing up. "There's something I have to attend to."

"Alright." I said as Junko left the cafeteria. I sighed as I finished my brunch. I leaned against the back of the chair for a few minutes before getting up and leaving as well. As I was heading for my dorm-room, I saw Monokuma coming out of one of the dorms. He had a laptop in hand as he quickly disappeared around the corner. I tried to follow him, but he was already gone. I sighed as I checked from what room he came out of. Fortunately, it was easy for me to identify from whose, since Monokuma left it open. What bothered when I discovered where he came from was this:

Monokuma came out of Himitsu's room.

* * *

**Alright, so, did you enjoy? Well, this chapter was just meant to be full of disconnecting events, I think, and it's just to prepare for upcoming chapters. Anyway, all that matters that you guys enjoyed reading this!**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW!**


	16. Maiden of Few Words

**Okay, so here's a new chapter for the story. Again, it may be full of drabbles or disconnecting events, but hey, that's me.**

**- That1guyeveryonehates = Likane Chronicles, huh? … You shall be my partner in crime-I mean, partner in that fic. As for your 'survivors' list, seems legit. However, of course, who knows what'll happen. (Again, Votes and Character Profiles matter)**

**So…read along!**

* * *

Gina

Monokuma came out of Himitsu's room. The first thought that came to mind was that Monokuma is snooping around the student's room, looking for something. The second thought was that he's just visiting? Either way, he's been in Himitsu's room, meaning there's something important in there. I was torn between decisions. Should I look inside, or just stay out of whatever happened? Well, not like Himitsu's around, so I just took a quick peek inside, but only for someone to suddenly pull me away. I spun on my heel to see who it was, but I was surprised to find out. "Josephine?"

The pale maiden looked at my seriously with her crimson eyes. She stared down on me as she muttered, "What are you doing?"

I looked at her as I discreetly closed Himitsu's door, locking it up. ("Dang it, now I'll never know why Monokuma was in there.") I thought as I looked at Josephine. "Nothing." I answered bluntly.

Josephine looked at me, and she never averted her attention away from me. "…Why were you sneaking into Himitsu's room?" She questioned.

("She saw me, didn't she?") I thought, but, I could try to dodge the question. It's not like I'm lying, I'm just not answering her fully. "I want nothing to do with that playboy." I answered.

She just stared at me, a bit sleepily, in fact. What's wrong with her today? She's talking more than usual, excluding during the class trials. "…Closet pervert…" She muttered.

.

.

.

What? "…What did you say?"

"Closet pervert."

I never listen to other people before, so I had no idea what she meant. I just gave her a confused look, and shockingly, she laughed a bit. It was…adorable? Cute, perhaps? Peculiar thoughts invaded my mind as I tried to leave, but strangely enough, she stopped me from doing so. "W-What is it now?"

"I'm not done." She answered. What does she mean by that? This is getting too weird.

"S-So what?" I asked, but Josephine just gestured me to follow her around. I sighed as I was about to leave again, but again, she stopped me by thrusting her umbrella in front of me. "Really?"

"Just follow." She said, so reluctantly, I followed her. I just know things will start to get strange from here.

* * *

As I was following Josephine around the second floor of the building, we bumped into Heishi and Asura. "Um, are you two actually walking around together?" Heishi questioned, as though he couldn't believe it.

"So?" I replied a bit tiredly. ("I just wanted to sleep.")

Josephine looked at both of them before turning her head away. "J-Josephine-sama, is something the matter?" Asura asked with a worried expression.

I stood there and watched those two stare at each other. I wasn't sure why or why Josephine was just staring at him for absolutely no reason. In the meantime, Heishi walked over to me with a smile. "So, how's your day going?"

"Fine, just tired." I answered. "How long do we have to wait on those two?"

"I'm not really sure. I'd never seen Josephine get into any kind of interaction before, not even a staring contest."

I just sighed. "First time for everything, I guess."

Heishi just laughed a bit. "Hehe, I guess." He said. His expression turned solemn as he said, "I checked on Paylor earlier and I could still feel his being gloomy. It's not often you see the guy…you know…"

"Yeah, I thought so too." I said. I looked over at the Combatant and asked, "You went on a rampage again." I was referring to the time Rika was executed.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just can't really take it." He said.

I looked at him intently. "Didn't you tell me last time that you're going to tell me why you went on a rampage after Kana's case?" Heishi jerked his head at me suddenly, as though it was the first time he heard of such.

"I-I said that to you, right?" He said, and I nodded. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Um…maybe some other time…" He suggested.

I just looked at him. With a discreet sigh, I said, "Alright."

While Heishi and I were conversing, the two, namely Josephine and Asura, didn't break eye contact until Heishi pulled Asura back. "So…um…we were just heading towards the pool…so, um, if you want to join us, you can come."

"W-Wait, you said we're going somewhere fun!" Asura said, startled.

"Wait, I didn't mention we're going to the pool?"

"No!" The boy replied. He then kicked Heishi back all of a sudden and ran for it. For a shy and timid boy, he runs fast. Heishi just ran after him, leaving me and Josephine where we are.

"The boy's like a girl." Josephine muttered but which I could hear.

"What?"

"He doesn't like getting into the pool." She began. "Girls who just had their hair or make-up done don't want to, either."

I just sighed. I wonder if Josephine is more out-of-touch with society than I am? "He's not gay." I told her. "Let's just go, wherever you want me to go." I said, and with that, Josephine and I continued on our way.

* * *

As we approached the third floor, a strange scenario came upon us. Along the corridor, Paylor was walking towards us. He was carrying something in his arms – actually, someone. In his arms was a sleeping Mei, her face depicting peaceful slumber and utter tranquility. Just the sight of her made me want to take a nap fast. "Bonjour." Paylor called out in a loud-enough voice. "What are you two ladies doing this afternoon?"

"Walking around." I answered bluntly. I looked at the corners of my eyes to see Josephine, and just like before, she was silent. I averted my attention back on Paylor. "Why are you carrying Mei when she's sleeping?"

The Inventor smiled a bit as he looked down on the maiden. She made soft sleeping noises, and I just observed how Paylor looks at her. "She fell asleep in the Recreation Room after reading the magazines there."

"How…did she not go to her room before sleeping?" At that, Paylor just laughed a bit nervously. Something was strange about this. "What did you do?"

"W-Well, I may have brewed her something special. A cup of tea I made myself, as to thank her for trying to cheer me up in earlier times." Paylor began with a nervous smile.

"Okay, so?"

"A cup of tea that causes slight drowsiness to the consumer is the one that made her like this…" He finished. "It came from a recipe I made to put my father to sleep when he doesn't want to, or can't."

"But…why would you…" I began, but trailed.

The man just replied, "She looked tired, and she did tell me earlier that she couldn't really sleep last night after what happened." After that, he looked down with a depressive expression. It seems like he couldn't easily forget such tragedy.

Josephine nudged my side with her umbrella, but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what she meant by it, but I just turned to look at Paylor. "You're bringing her to her room now, right?" He nodded. "You should go then."

"Oh, of course." He said as he continued on his way. As soon as he was out of earshot, a voice spoke behind me. Was it a ghost? Nope.

"Pedophile." I heard Josephine muttering.

I sighed as I looked at her. "What's with you calling others names today?" The porcelain maiden just shrugged as she continued along the corridors, her umbrella perched on her shoulder. Why won't she let that thing go?

* * *

We ended up resting in one of the classrooms. If I must be honest, I don't think the classrooms here are really helpful in this school, excluding the use of resting and goofing around. I sighed as I began fiddling with my Ghost Radar as I sat on top of the teacher's desk, Josephine sitting in one of the other chairs. Fortunately, every Ghost Equipment that was still there was still with me and it didn't receive any damage at all. I looked over at Josephine, and strangely enough, she was examining her umbrella. "…What are you-"

"Is it not obvious already?" She replied bluntly in a monotone.

I sighed and averted my attention back on my ghost-hunting equipment. She just says one of the strangest things at times, and then she would go silent. I noticed something about how she behaved this afternoon. I looked over at her. "Why are you only talking to me?"

Josephine's hands stopped fiddling the tip of her umbrella and looked at me. Her crimson eyes, though they looked dazed, were dead-focus on me. "Why do you ask? Is it not uncommon for two people to interact?"

"Days before, you weren't, and only during Class Trials."

"I find it unnecessary to talk nonsense."

"Then why are you talking to me?" After that, Jossy went silent again. She sighed as she brushed her hair lightly with her hands. She said nothing, but she did take quick glances at me from time to time. "…Fine, don't answer." I said as I went back to doing my business. "If you have nothing else to do with me, I'll be goin-"

"There's a sixteenth."

I looked at her suddenly. "Sixteenth? Sixteenth what?"

She finally stood up and approached me. "There's a sixteenth student in this school."

What? "Wait, so it's not only us fifteen in here? There's someone else?" I asked, becoming curious. If what she saying was true, so then has someone came to help?

"Eneres." Josephine muttered. "That's what people call her, Eneres."

Eneres, a name which was unfamiliar to me. "Never heard of her."

"She is someone who is famous for her capabilities and grade. I heard that she's also physically adept, training herself in many martial arts, and that she can wield a sword greatly."

"How do you know this?" I asked. If she was famous, it wouldn't hurt to ask the others about her. In the meantime, I just wanted to know where she got the details. I awaited an answer, but all I received was a shrug. "Why?"

"It's just something…I remember, I think…" She muttered, looking down solemnly. As I looked at her, I realized that she maybe some type of loner as well, someone like me, who has no friends or whatsoever. Maybe that's why she's talking to me. Maybe she thought that I could relate to her loneliness. But then, why just now?

"Oh wait." I suddenly said. "I think I recall Junko remembering a few things also."

Josephine looked at me curiously. "Really?"

I nodded. "I guess that means you're not going crazy?" I stated, though I wasn't sure if that offended her. Judging by how she looked down on the floor with a slightly dark aura, it seems I did. "Sorry."

"It's okay." She muttered, her soft voice hinting tiredness. "You should be careful around Eneres. I hear she's virulent."

At that moment, Isaiah walked in, a small smile on his face. Just as he was entering, Josephine left without another word. She's a strange, quiet girl as always. I sighed as I looked at Isaiah. "Hi."

"Hello, Lady Gina. What were you and Miss Josephine doing in here?" He asked with such sophistication and politeness.

I sighed. "I'm not sure. She's strange." I commented, again, not sure if that would've offended here.

He just laughed softly. "It seems, but do not worry, she's just unique." I looked at the man. He had this strange look on his face that made me feel uneasy. What is he thinking now? All of a sudden, he began counting down. "Three, two, one…."

"GINA!" Barging in through the doors was none other than the boisterous Akane. She had this grin on her face and she was panting slightly. Has she been running? "I heard the news!" She exclaimed as she suddenly wrapped her arms around. "I just knew the time will come!"

Following behind her was a panting Liam. "W-Wait up, Mademoiselle…huff, huff…"

"You're too slow, Liam!" She teased with a smirk.

"I think you're too fast, mes amis." He retorted back, still panting slightly but had a tired smile on.

"What…are you yelling about?" I asked, though it seems I'll be regretting it afterwards.

Akane smiled at me as she took a step back. "So is it official?"

"What is official, Lady Akane?" Isaiah asked, slightly bewildered at the suddenness of events.

"Gina and Himitsu are an item!" She exclaimed.

"What?" I asked. "I'm not an item, neither is Himitsu. We're both humans."

Everyone in the room just fell back to the floor. "You don't get it?" Akane asked as she immediately got up. "When I mean by 'item', I meant you two are now girlfriend and boyfriend!"

That's when I got into a state of shock. "Why would you say that?" I asked, trying to stay compose. Why would they think that a Hacker would go well with a Ghost-hunter?

Akane just smiled. "I was in the AV room when a message suddenly popped up in one of the monitors." She began.

"Message?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It said this:

_"Himitsu and Gina are definitely getting closer to one another. Too close actually, that they almost seem to be in each others' arms all the time, upupu!"_

"I recognized that laughter…" I muttered. Why would Monokuma relay such? I did nothing wrong to him, nor I am that close to the Playboy. I sighed heavily. ("Monokuma…you better have a good reason for this…") I looked up then said, "Well, I'm sure that only you and the others here know about it."

"Actually," Akane began with a nervous smile. "This, apparently, was shown on all available monitors and screens, so basically, it can be seen by anyone in the school, as long there is a screen."

"Wait…so that means…" I trailed.

"Everyone saw it?" Isaiah finished.

Liam nodded. "Oui. I think everyone saw the message, Monsieur." At that, I just sat on the nearest desk and just heaved a heavy sigh. The Painter looked at me and just smiled. "There's no need to worry, Mademoiselle. I'm sure the others won't make a big deal out of it."

"Oh really?" I said in a low voice. As I looked up, a crooked grin was plastered on my hauntingly pleasant face. Akane, Liam and Isaiah just looked shocked at they looked at me. I stood up and headed straight towards my room. When I slumped on my bed and looked at the screen, the message was there, just like Akane said. "That Monokuma…." I growled. I was never the type to be like this if things are like this, but still…

"…I wonder when Monokuma will turn to a ghost..."

* * *

**Okay, so basically, Josephine is one of the most silent characters I ever have (excluding another silent character I received in another OC story which I deleted who never says anything at all), and so I thought of having her talk a lot for this chapter. If you're surprise by how normal she talks, or the name-calling she used, then why don't you comment your reactions? It would be nice to read that. And don't worry; this may be the only chapter where she talks a lot (not including Class Trials)**

**Remember to Vote! It's still affecting the character deaths and murders and survivor lists! You don't think it's that important, those who hadn't voted yet? What if Mei dies because she has only a few votes? - This is just me being hyperactive after drinking lots of coffee, probably…**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! READ AND REVIEW**


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